Scientist warns of Atlantic tidal wave

[SteveStromberg]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5652141/

The bad news is tens of millions of people along the eastern seaboard of the United States and Canada may drown if the slow slippage of a volcano off north Africa becomes a cataclysmic collapse.

But the good news is the world is not likely to be destroyed by an asteroid any time soon.

Scientist Bill McGuire told a news conference on natural disasters on Monday that sometime in the next few thousand years the western flank of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Canary Island of La Palma will collapse, sending walls of water 100 meters high racing across the Atlantic.

A chunk of the volcano the size of a small island began to slide into the ocean in 1949. There is almost no monitoring of the volcano, giving virtually no chance of any advance warning of another eruption, which could trigger the catastrophe.

"The U.S. government must be aware of the threat. I am sure they are not taking it seriously," McGuire of the Benfield Grieg Hazard Research Centre told reporters. "They certainly should be worried, as should the island states of the Caribbean."

He said the giant tidal wave or tsunami triggered by such a collapse would hit the other islands of the Spanish-owned Canaries within an hour and reach the north African coast within two hours.

Between seven and 10 hours later, waves still several tens of meters tall and traveling at the speed of a jet plane would be swamping the Caribbean and crashing into the eastern seaboards of South and North America.

McGuire urged the governments of Spain and the United States to fund monitoring of the volcanically active La Palma — a project he said could be achieved relatively cheaply.

He said the slow collapse — started by an eruption in 1949 — would almost certainly be turned catastrophic by another eruption of the volcano, which erupts every 25 to 200 years.

The last eruption was in 1971, and prior to 1949, the previous eruption was in 1712.

"A future president of the United States must make a call on what to do when La Palma collapses," he said.

On a brighter note, scientist Benny Peiser of John Moores University in Liverpool told the same news conference that the threat of a cataclysmic strike on the earth by a large asteroid was fading rapidly as money was pumped into finding them.

Within 10 to 30 years, all the near-earth asteroids will have been charted. Scientists believe they can find a way to steer an asteroid out of the way of the earth, as long as they have enough warning it is coming.

That leaves the field clear for Hollywood to move on to volcanic eruptions and tsunami for the next generation of apocalyptic movies.

[cstreit]

McGuire urged the governments of Spain and the United States to fund monitoring of the volcanically active La Palma — a project he said could be achieved relatively cheaply.

To what end really?

So we can spend millions watching out for something that we can't do anything about? What if we were monitoring it, and it happened? Then what?

1. Evacuate the entire eastern seaboard in 7-10 hours?
2. Drop a really big bomb in the ocean and disrupt it, ala Hollywood?
3. Give us extra time to stretch so we can kiss our own butts goodbye?

Between the "Big One" that will eventually sink the left coast, and now this, I'm starting to dig the Midwest even more.

[SteveStromberg]

Do not get to comfy one of the largest earthquakes was in Missouri in the early 1800 they estimated it at a 8.5.

http://www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/geosrv/gdam/HistoryMOeqs.htm


Although not recorded by modern instruments, a sequence of earthquakes that occurred near New Madrid in 1811-1812 included three of the most intense ever to occur on this continent. The New Madrid quakes were followed by aftershocks that continued for more than two years. More than 2,000 shocks were felt at least 180 miles away from their centers.

[dd74]

Originally posted by SteveStromberg
Do not get to comfy one of the largest earthquakes was in Missouri in the early 1800 they estimated it at a 8.5.

Isn't this why the Mississippi flows south to north?

[Don 944 LA]

I'm wondering if I should refrain from moving to Florida .. A big sunami would cover the state ????

[widebody911]

Originally posted by Don 944 LA
I'm wondering if I should refrain from moving to Florida .. A big sunami would cover the state ????

You say that like it's a bad thing...

[dhoward]

Originally posted by dd74
Isn't this why the Mississippi flows south to north?

The lack of a smilie makes me say, "huh?"

[cstreit]

"Some day a REAL rain will come and wash all the scum off the streets..." - Deniro in Taxi Driver

[dd74]

Originally posted by dhoward
The lack of a smilie makes me say, "huh?"

Smilie was optional because I once heard this was true though I haven't seen it myself.

[Porsche]

This Atlantic "mega tsunami" threat has been discussed for a few years now - check out this BBC report from 2000:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2000/mega_tsunami.shtml

Moveon.orgy reports that President Bush only approved $87.50 in total aid to the victims of this disaster while continuing to pump over $750 million every half hour into the illegal Iraqi conflict.

[Don 944 LA]

did some googling
seems that there would be at least a 6 hour heads up for east coast

[Porsche]

Originally posted by Don 944 LA
did some googling
seems that there would be at least a 6 hour heads up for east coast

6 hours to evacuate millions of people is not much time at all. But better than nothing.

[RickM]

Originally posted by SteveStromberg
There is almost no monitoring of the volcano, giving virtually no chance of any advance warning of another eruption, which could trigger the catastrophe.

This contradicts what was told on a Discovery Channel special about a year ago. They did an hour long show on this very volcano, complete with several cut-away animations and all. They also showed the very sensitive monitoring equipment and how it was used.

[Tobra]

SHAZAM! Thread revival

The volcano on La Palma is active currently off the coast of Spain. I always had an interest in volcanoes, melted the waffles off my Nike waffle trainers on a trip to Hawaii in college one time. I have a been of the opinion that a big chunk of that island breaking off, falling in the ocean and causing a tsunami is a significant concern. I hope we would have some warning if it does occur
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumbre_Vieja_tsunami_hazard

[LWJ]

Yellowstone.

If that one goes humans might be toast.

[Por_sha911]

WARNING:
ZOMBIE THREAD!

Run for your lives.

I hate that I missed this scientific revelation back then but I laughed at

McGuire urged the governments of Spain and the United States to fund monitoring of the volcanically active La Palma — a project he said could be achieved relatively cheaply.

I'm sure the person who wrote the article would have been willing to take on the job of monitoring. A lifetime income!

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Porsche

This Atlantic "mega tsunami" threat has been discussed for a few years now - check out this BBC report from 2000...

Yep... much further back tho'... Yosemite (or...Yellowstone mebbe ?) blowing is gonna get the rest.

Tabby will say... I told you boyz

[LEAKYSEALS951]

Originally Posted by KC911

Yep... much further back tho'... Yosemite (or...Yellowstone mebbe ?) blowing is gonna get the rest.

Tabby will say... I told you boyz

I do hope that if yellowstone blows, the USD will collapse several hours before. Even if only a brief victory before our demise, TABS deserves his day!

[Norm K]

Originally Posted by KC911

Yep... much further back tho'... Yosemite (or...Yellowstone mebbe ?) blowing is gonna get the rest.

The giant cauldron that is Yellowstone is, in geologic terms, ready to go at any moment. I think it's believed to erupt every 650K years or so, and that it's been about that long since the last one. I figure that gives us somewhere between an hour and fifty thousand years.

_