Sea Shore Antics

[jane]

This report is about our coastline in UK

The threat posed to the UK by

tsunamis is very low, but cannot completely be discounted, a government report says.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4627473.stm

jane

[Steve]

Taking note of events that have happened in the past is not a bad form of wisdom. The article gives these two examples:



"Despite the low probability of a future tsunami affecting the UK, several past events meant researchers could not completely discount the

possibility.
The most notable of these was the earthquake and ensuing tsunami which destroyed Lisbon in Portugal on 1 November, 1755. The earthquake, estimated

at magnitude 8.6, generated waves with a maximum height of 18m (60ft).
There is also firm geological evidence that a tsunami hit the coasts of Scotland and north

-east England following an undersea landslide off Norway about 8,200 years ago."

steve

[ppenquinn]

Here's an artical by Bill McGuire (see link at bottom for actual

reference)

What could happen?
In 1949 the entire western flank of Cumbre Vieja on the Canary Island of La Palma, became detached from the

rest of the volcano. This huge piece of rock - about double the size of the UK's Isle of Man - is primed to drop into the sea at any time. When it does - next year or in

10,000 years we simply do not know - the sudden displacement of water will cause giant tsunamis that will ravage the entire Atlantic Rim.

What will the effect

be?
Modelling the volcano's collapse, some scientists believe that within two minutes of the landslide entering the water, waves an unbelievable 900m high will have

been generated. About 45 minutes later, the waves having dropping to about 100m in height will obliterate the surrounding islands. Unstoppable, the waves travelling

faster than a jumbo jet will spread out across Atlantic. Hitting the USA just six hours later the 50m high waves will destroy all the major cities such as Boston, New York,

Washington and Miami. The impact on the US economy will be close to terminal, an effect the whole world will feel.


Artical reference:


http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/environmental-change/asl-2005/html-version/tsunami/tsunami-future.html


.