Illorsuit (Greenlandic pronunciation:[iɬːɔsːuit]; old spelling: Igdlorssuit) is a former settlement in Avannaata municipality, in western Greenland. Located on the northeastern shore of Illorsuit Island − northwest of Uummannaq at the mouth of the Uummannaq Fjord − the settlement had 91 inhabitants in 2010.[1] It was abandoned in 2018.
History
On 17 June 2017, a landslide measuring 300 m × 1,100 m (980 ft × 3,610 ft) fell about 1,000 m (3,280 ft) into Karrat Fjord, generating a megatsunami that hit Nuugaatsiaq.[2][3][4]
Initially it was unclear if the landslide was caused by a small earthquake (magnitude 4),[2][5] but later it was confirmed that the landslide had caused the tremors.[3] The tsunami had an initial height of 90 to 100 m (295 to 328 ft), but it was significantly lower once it hit Nuugaatsiaq, where it had a run-up height of 9 metres (30 ft).[3][4]
Four people were killed and nine were injured at Nuugaatsiaq, and eleven buildings were washed into the water.[2][3][4][5][6] Illorsuit also suffered tsunami damage.[7] An evacuation of 170 residents of Illorsuit and Nuugaatsiaq followed because of a danger of additional landslides and waves.[4][8]
Illorsuit was abandoned in 2018, and as of March 2023, both llorsuit and Nuugaatsiaq remained uninhabited due to the continuing threat of landslide-generated tsunamis.[9]
Before Illorsuit's abandonment, its population had dropped by 28 percent relative to the 1990 levels and by nearly 17 percent relative to the 2000 levels, reflecting a general trend in the region.[1]
Illorsuit population growth dynamics in the last two decades. Source: Statistics Greenland[1]
