Karrat Fjord

Karrat Fjord is a fjord in Avannaata municipality in western Greenland.

Geography

Karrat Fjord has its mouth in the Nordost Bay of the Baffin Bay. The head of the fjord is formed by a number of tributaries, including the Rink Glacier, Ingia Glacier, and Umiamako Glacier fjords, as well as the Ukkusissat Fjord.
The fjord heads to the southwest, with Qeqertarsuaq Island, Illorsuit Island, and Upernivik Island near its mouth.

The coast of Karrat Fjord has been the scene of large landslides, one of which generated a megatsunami:

On 1 September 2009, a landslide consisting of of material occurred on the south-facing slope of the mountain Ummiammakku at. It did not reach the fjord, so no tsunami occurred.
On 15 November 2016, another landslide occurred on the south-facing slope of Ummiammakku at. It consisted of of material, but is not known to have generated a tsunami.
On 17 June 2017, probably because of melting ice that destabilized the rock, of rock fell from an elevation of roughly on the south-facing slope of Ummiammakku at. The landslide reached the fjord, generating a megatsunami with an initial wave height of. The wave struck the village of Nuugaatsiaq away, where the run-up was and the wave swept 11 buildings into the sea and killed four people. The tsunami was noted at settlements as far as away. An evacuation of 170 residents of Nuugaatsiaq and Illorsuit followed because of a danger of additional landslides and waves. As of March 2023, the two settlements are still abandoned due to the continuing potential for landslide-generated tsunamis in the area.