Tsunamis to Come
I just caught the tail-end of a Discovery Channel show regarding the potential of future giant tsunamis -- and it ended with the revelation (to paraphrase) that 'since people started to inhabit the planet, we've felt falsely secure that we were above nature -- yet tsunamis a hundred times bigger have moved across the oceans the geologic past left behind entirely changed landscapes.' Tsunamis can be caused by earthquakes, undersea volcanic eruptions, island landslides into oceans and asteroid impacts into oceans -- with increasing potency as you move from earthquakes to asteroid impacts. The message here: the earthquake induced tsunami that hit Asia is nothing compared to the rest. An asteroid impact induced tsunami could have waves of a few hundred feet, while volcanic eruptions or landslides could generate waves of about one hundred feet. In comparison, the earthquake induced tsunami that hit Asia generated waves of 30-40 feet.
As asteroid impact is quite remote, but tsunamis as a result of undersea volcanoes and island landslides aren't. The Discovery Show was about a potential landslide that could happen within the next one hundred years on the Canary Island of La Palma. That landslide would have enough force to generate a tsunami that would travel across the Atlantic Ocean in 9 hours and hit the shores of North America with 30 feet waves. Not all geologists agree however that such a wave could be sustained -- and all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. Regardless, it probably doesn't hurt to side on caution and have monitoring and evacuation processes in place. Read more on mega-tsunamis by following the links below.
Papers from Journals
Evaluation of the Threat of Mega Tsunami Generation from Postulated Massive Slope Failures of Island Stratovolcanoes on La Palma, Canary Islands, and on the Island of Hawaii [PDF, pg. 13]
Potential for large-scale submarine slope failure and tsunami generation along the US mid-Atlantic coast [PDF]
Tsunami from Asteroid/Comet Impacts
As asteroid impact is quite remote, but tsunamis as a result of undersea volcanoes and island landslides aren't. The Discovery Show was about a potential landslide that could happen within the next one hundred years on the Canary Island of La Palma. That landslide would have enough force to generate a tsunami that would travel across the Atlantic Ocean in 9 hours and hit the shores of North America with 30 feet waves. Not all geologists agree however that such a wave could be sustained -- and all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. Regardless, it probably doesn't hurt to side on caution and have monitoring and evacuation processes in place. Read more on mega-tsunamis by following the links below.
Papers from Journals
Papers by Steven N. Ward, UC, Santa Cruz
Landslide Tsunami [PDF] Asteroid Impact Tsunami: A Probabilistic Hazard Assessment [PDF] Cumbre Vieja Volcano -- Potential Collapse and Tsunami at La Palma, Canary Islands [PDF] More publications regarding tsunamis and for a simulation of the Sumatra tsunami, go to Steven N. Ward's website.
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