They fear that the mega-wave - a tsunami - could be generated by part of a mountain twice the size of Britain's Isle of Man crashing into the sea following an eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma, in the Canary Islands -- part of the Spanish island chain off West Africa. Travelling at speeds of up to 500mph, the tsunami would be an unstoppable force and would be the biggest-ever recorded in history. Previous research predicted that a future eruption of Cumbre Vieja was likely to cause the western flank of the mountain to slide into the sea.
The energy released by the collapse would be equal to the electricity consumption of the entire U.S. in six months. Immediately after the landslide, a dome of water almost 900 metres (3,000 ft) high and tens of kilometres wide will form, only to collapse and rebound. Its first target was expected to be the West Saharan coast of Morocco, where the wave would measure a devastating 330ft from crest to trough. Propelled by a series of crests and troughs, the tsunami would travel a distance of almost 155 miles in just 10 minutes, the model predicts. Racing at the speed of a jet aircraft, it would reach Florida and the Caribbean in eight or nine hours.
A wall of water 164ft high - higher than Nelson's column in London's Trafalgar Square - would smash into the coasts of Florida and the Caribbean islands, the forecast predicts. The northern coast of Brazil would be hit by a wave more than 130ft high. The wave would travel four or five miles inland, flattening everything in its path.
[This article is from 2001 - note the number of Canary Island quakes currently occurring.]
Buddha
LARGEST QUAKES -
This morning -
5.0 TONGA
CANARY ISLANDS - 2.5, 2.8, 2.8, 3.4, 2.5, 2.8, 2.7, 3.3, 2.7, 2.5, 2.8, 3.0, 1.8, 2.7
Yesterday -
9/27/11 -
5.1 SOUTHEAST OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
5.2 ANDREANOF ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
5.2 RAT ISLANDS, ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
5.3 CRETE, GREECE
5.0 KASHMIR-XINJIANG BORDER REGION
5.0 VANUATU
CANARY ISLANDS - 2.6, 3.0, 2.7, 2.7, 2.9, 3.0, 2.6, 2.9, 2.9, 2.8, 3.1, 2.9, 2.5, 3.5, 2.8, 3.4, 2.8, 2.6, 3.8, 2.5, 3.6, 2.6, 2.7, 2.5, 2.8, 2.5, 2.5, 2.6, 2.6, 2.5, 2.5, 2.7, 3.4, 2.7, 2.6, 2.9, 2.6, 2.6,
VOLCANOES -
ICELAND - Did Katla volcano erupt under the ice this summer? An Icelandic geophysicist says that the Katla volcano probably already erupted this summer without breaking the surface of the glacier. He believes that a small volcanic eruption at Katla was the reason for this summer’s glacial flood in the Mulakvisl river.
When a jokulhlaup flood happens, it is the result of geothermal heat having melted ice, which collects under great pressure before bursting free in a short, sharp flood. They can cause large areas of glacier to subside. When the Mulakvisl flood happened this summer four parts of the Myrdalsjokull glacier sank down. There was also a very sharp subsidence event in the middle of the volcanic crater — a phenomenon the Icelandic Met Office geophysicists HAD NOT SEEN BEFORE. “It is an indication that a very quick melt took place under there. The glacier seems to have melted very quickly from underneath and it is difficult to see how that could have happened unless there had been a small eruption under there.”
To back up his theory that Katla erupted this summer, he says that when the flooding took place, there was a lot of seismic activity under the glacier, similar to when an eruption is taking place. In fact, he says, there was more seismic activity than during 2010′s Fimmvorduhals eruption. “That is the second pointer which indicates that molten lava came into contact with the ice under the glacier." If a small Katla eruption did take place this summer, it does not necessarily mean that the pressure inside the volcano dropped significantly, or that another eruption is less likely than it otherwise would have been.
TROPICAL STORMS -
In the Atlantic -
-Tropical depression Ophelia was located about 235 mi.(380 km) E of the northern Leeward Islands. Ophelia is expected to become a tropical storm again today.
-Tropical storm Philippe was located about 865 mi (1390 km) W of the Cape Verde Islands. Phillipe is forecast to weaken into a tropical depression today.
In the Pacific -
-Category 2 Hurricane Hilary was located about 635 mi (1020 km) SW of the southern tip of Baja California.
Hilary is expected to weaken into a tropical storm today.
-Typhoon 20w (Nesat) was located approximately 640 nm east-southeast of Hanoi, Vietnam.
-Tropical Storm 22w (Nalgae) was located approximately 935 nm east-northeast of Manila, Philippines.
Philippines cleans up after Typhoon Nesat - A huge clean-up operation is under way in the Philippines after Typhoon Nesat battered the capital Manila and the main island, Luzon. The death toll rose to 18 with 35 still missing after heavy rain and powerful winds triggered storm surges. Most deaths occurred in and around Manila. Nesat is now in the South China Sea with 120km/h (75mph) winds and due to reach China's Hainan Island on Thursday evening or early Friday.
Power supplies were gradually being restored to central Manila on Wednesday. However, more than a million people in Luzon remained without power. Emergency teams were clearing away fallen trees, debris and broken-down cars while schools and offices reopened. Crews were also repairing and clearing 61 road networks across Luzon damaged by landslides, debris and flooding. Some areas are still under water. Huge waves had breached the sea wall allowing water from Manila Bay to engulf wide areas. "This is THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS KIND OF FLOODING HAPPENED HERE." Flooding in Luzon was made worse when the government released water from four dams that had reached critical levels in Bulacan province.
Meanwhile, another tropical storm brewing in the Pacific Ocean could hit the Philippines within the week. "We need to finish emergency work in the aftermath of Nesat before this storm comes. We are praying for the skies to clear a little bit today." Nesat, which had a diameter of 650km (400 miles) and carried gusts of up to 170km/h (105 mph), made landfall just before dawn on Tuesday on the Pacific coast. The Philippines suffers frequent typhoons but Nesat is thought to be the largest this year. It comes almost exactly two years after Typhoon Ketsana killed more than 400 people.
Tropical Storm Haitang hit Vietnam's central provinces on Tuesday before downgrading into a depression later in the afternoon and moving towards central neighboring Laos.
Pennsylvania - there are still 114 people living in shelters, weeks after the flooding caused by tropical storm Lee in the eastern and central parts of the state.
HEALTH THREATS -
Colorado cantaloupes kill up to 16 in listeria outbreak - At least 13 deaths and 72 illnesses have been linked to a listeria outbreak from Colorado cantaloupes, health officials say, in THE DEADLIEST FOOD OUTBREAK IN MORE THAN A DECADE. Three other deaths may also be related to the tainted fruit, which are linked to a farm in Holly and have been recalled. Bacteria were also found on equipment and produce at the farm's packing site. The FDA is investigating how the contamination may have happened.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns the number of incidents is likely to grow, since symptoms can take four weeks or more to appear. "That long incubation period is a real problem. People who ate a contaminated food two weeks ago or even a week ago could still be falling sick weeks later." Most healthy adults are unlikely to suffer ill effects from listeria, however the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are more vulnerable.
Since 31 July, incidents have been reported in 18 US states with fatalities confirmed in areas as disparate as Texas, New Mexico and Maryland. Listeria thrives in low temperatures and outbreaks are rarely associated with fresh produce. Listeria bacteria can grow at room temperature, even refrigerator temperatures, unlike many other pathogens. The CDC and US Food and Drug Administration have advised that all potentially contaminated produce is thrown away immediately, and that any surfaces it may have touched are sanitised.
In 1988, 21 people died in a listeria outbreak from contaminated hot dogs, while in 1985, 52 deaths were linked to listeria contamination in Mexican-style soft cheese. The CDC says around 800 listeria cases are reported in the US each year.
