[Tiara]

I just saw a very disturbing documentary about a mega-tsunami that will destroy everything on the US eastern seaboard from New york all the way down to Miami.

According to scientists, when the island of LaPalma (near the African coast) collapses, it will form a mega-tsunami that can be as big as 650 meters (!!!) and over hundreds of kilometers long (!!!). It would wipe out anything within 20 kilometers of the eastern coast.

Brace yourselves, it gets worse.

The vulcano on LaPalma, which will cause the landslide, is predicted to erupt within the next century. It could happen tommorrow or in 50 to 100 years. Or it could take more then that, but they say it will happen.

These mega tsunamis have occured throughout the history of the world. The last major one was ~4000 years ago off the coast of Australia. But they also occured in a bay in Alaska only 50 years ago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2000/mega_tsunami.shtml

What will happen when the volcano on La Palma collapses? Scientists predict that it will generate a wave that will be almost inconceivably destructive, far bigger than anything ever witnessed in modern times. It will surge across the entire Atlantic in a matter of hours, engulfing the whole US east coast, sweeping away everything in its path up to 20km inland. Boston would be hit first, followed by New York, then all the way down the coast to Miami and the Caribbean.

http://www.benfieldhrc.org/CentreNews/press%20releases/tsunami.htm

'Eruptions of Cumbre Vieja occur at intervals of decades to a century or so and there may be a number of eruptions before its collapse. Although the year to year probability of a collapse is therefore low, the resulting tsunami would be a major disaster with indirect effects around the world. Cumbre Vieja needs to monitored closely for any signs of impending volcanic activity and for the deformation that would precede collapse.'

This documentary seriously scared me It's not some fairy tale or sci-fi movie like Deep impact. No, it's something based on cold, hard scientific facts.

[Unknown Target]

Woohoo! More bonage for the world!
And I feel great to be living on a low-lying island in the carribbean!
Anyway, are they monitoring the volcano? Any activity lately?

[aldo_14]

a) it would also wipe out western europe (EDIT: I believe; it's alluded to in the 2nd link, but they don't state the exact threat there)
b) there's a debate whether it can happen in this way; i.e. if the entire landslide would impact in one single massive event, or break up and make numerous smaller waves (chucking a brick into a bath vs breaking up a brick then chucking it)

[Tiara]

Originally posted by Unknown Target

Anyway, are they monitoring the volcano? Any activity lately?

It's always active, but no major eruptions seem to be predicted for the next few years at least. (They can only predict that much)

[Hippo]

Being 30 Miles north of Boston, I think i'll go buy a life jacket now...

[Tiara]

Originally posted by aldo_14
a) it would also wipe out western europe

But to a FAR lesser extend. And hardly wipe out. The waves go west and only a small fraction of the force is directed towards Europe. Though Brittain would be hit hardest of Europe.

b) there's a debate whether it can happen in this way; i.e. if the entire landslide would impact in one single massive event, or break up and make numerous smaller waves (chucking a brick into a bath vs breaking up a brick then chucking it)

The water that has been building up inside the vulcano has reached such a volume that one big landslide is the most likely outcome of a major eruption.

[Unknown Target]

Well...any plans on how to stop it?

Drill holes in it to relieve the pressure, then remove the cap? (There's a big rock plugging it, right?)

[Tiara]

Originally posted by Unknown Target
Well...any plans on how to stop it?

Drill holes in it to relieve the pressure, then remove the cap? (There's a big rock plugging it, right?)

Eh, drilling into an active vulcano? That and the already unstable rock formation would even make the collapse MORE likely.

[Hippo]

Dril + Unstable = BAD

Slight correction... I'm off to build an Ark ...

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Tiara

But to a FAR lesser extend. And hardly wipe out. The waves go west and only a small fraction of the force is directed towards Europe. Though Brittain would be hit hardest of Europe.

The water that has been building up inside the vulcano has reached such a volume that one big landslide is the most likely outcome of a major eruption.

1) edited above; I remeber the BBc documentary alluding to it destroying most of Britain in particular

2) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3963563.stm
As I said, there's a debate.

[ShadowWolf_IH]

that's scary

[Unknown Target]

So what the hell are we gonna do?
Just wait until it becomes a problem?

[Hippo]

Hm... I recall a really old childrens movie involving a Train, a lighthouse, a large amount of water, some cute bears, a whole lot of sponges, a boulder, a mountain, and a bunch of evil trains as well... (It was a weird movie...)


So... I have no clue...

OT: what ever happened to Mt St. Hellans? Did it erupt again?

[Ghostavo]

How would Britain get hit hardest in europe if it has 3 whole countries in between it and La Palma?

[Tiara]

Originally posted by aldo_14

2) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3963563.stm
As I said, there's a debate.

Ok, assume it breaks into 10 pieces, then you have 10 WAVES OF 52 METERS!

thats roughly 4 and a half times as high as the tsunami in asia AND that ten times in a row. Sorry, I really don't see that as a 'better' option. It would still destroy all coast cities.

hell, if it breaks into 20 pieces you'd still have a Tsunami twice as high as the highest normal tsunami.

[Tiara]

Originally posted by Unknown Target
So what the hell are we gonna do?
Just wait until it becomes a problem?

It would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to prepare for it even slightly.

It costs money -> government will ignore it if it isn't needed within the term of the current president.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Tiara

Ok, assume it breaks into 10 pieces, then you have 10 WAVES OF 52 METERS!

thats roughly 4 and a half times as high as the tsunami in asia AND that ten times in a row. Sorry, I really don't see that as a 'better' option. It would still destroy all coast cities.

hell, if it breaks into 20 pieces you'd still have a Tsunami twice as high as the highest normal tsunami.

I believe there's an exponential increase in effect as mass (and force due to gravity * mass) increases.  So it wouldn't be a straight division of height........plus those waves would have less initial speed & height and would presumably lose their power more rapidly than the larger wave....

put it this way, there wouldn't be a bunch of marine geologists saying "it's not as likely as was made out" and saying the threat is lower if the scenario was worse, would there?

[Unknown Target]

Actually, Tiara, I'm pretty sure some of the waves would cancel each other out, so you'd have less and smaller waves.
Still though, it'd be a lot of devastation.

[IceFire]

I don't understand how Britain would be affected in any signifcant fashion.  The majority of the wave would be headed across the Atlantic...heading north, passing through Spain, and then hitting England seems difficult to me.

[Taristin]

W00t! for living 30 miles from Manhattan! And one block from the Hudson River!