when faraway places f*ck up NYC

August 9, 2004 5:24 PM

Boom! Forget terror attacks, the real reason for an orange alert in NYC has to do with ... rocks. I'll bet you've never heard of Cumbre Vieja. In fact, if the first hit on a google search for something is a PDF, you know it's obscure. (It's a volcano in the Canaries). If it erupts, it'll spell the end for Washington, New York and Boston (and parts of Europe will get a bit wet.) Hoo!

Now, short of hoping it will go away, there's nothing you can do, because it will take 35 million years to dismantle the dangerous bits of rock. Instead, the boffins are talking about evacuating the east coast. Yet more obscure places you wish you could forget menacing the future of the US, hey?
posted by bonaldi (33 comments total)

Awareness of natural threats does not increase the likelihood of their occurance, and there's a reason absurdly long periods of time are referred to as geological time.

10,000 years is beyond human history. It's also a blink of an eye in geological time. And this is by no means the only world-altering threat that could hit over the next 10K years.
posted by effugas at 5:34 PM on August 9, 2004

If Boston goes, I want to go with it. Bostonians will gather at Castle Island and stare down the wave. And in unison, right before our deaths, we'll scream a defiant "YANKEES SUCK!"
posted by Mayor Curley at 5:50 PM on August 9, 2004

Speaking as a fellow Bostonian, who grew up in New York and has spent a significant amount of time in DC - I couldn't be happier about the prospect of every man, woman, and child in all three places drowning horribly. I just wish it didn't have to take me with it. Still, if that's the price, I don't really think I feel too badly about paying it.
posted by Ryvar at 5:53 PM on August 9, 2004

Maps showing progress of the tsunami & impact over the N. Atlantic (if and when).

Original research: Benfield Greig Hazard Research Centre at UCL and Dr. Steven Ward of the University of California.
posted by dash_slot- at 6:04 PM on August 9, 2004

another reason why We Think the West Coast is the Best Coast ...
posted by mrgrimm at 6:31 PM on August 9, 2004

This doesn't affect me.
So whats the big deal?
posted by Trik at 6:33 PM on August 9, 2004

eh, we can swim. : >
posted by amberglow at 6:38 PM on August 9, 2004

Most of the news stories are erroneously reporting the history of the volcano. The Canary Islands are actually part of a large volcanic feature, and the island of La Palma itself was formed by at least 6 volcanic events in recent geologic history, in 1585, 1646, 1677, 1712, 1949, and most recently, 1971. All of the historical volcanic eruptions on La Palma are associated with the Cumbre Vieja rift zone, and there are about 120 volcanic vents distributed along the its crest. It is possible to walk the Cumbre Vieja ridge, along the so-called 'route of the volcanoes.'

For those not particularly interested in perusing the more scientific coverage, here's the gist: a future eruption would be likely to cause a landslide on the western flank of Cumbre Vieja. A block of rock approximately twice the volume of the Isle of Man would break off, travelling into the sea at a speed of up to 350 kilometres per hour. The disintegration of the rock would likely produce a debris avalanche deposit extending 60 kilometres from the island. The energy released by the collapse would be equal to the electricity consumption of the entire United States in half a year. If the landslide of maximum estimated size (500 km^3) occurs, waves generated by the run-out could transit the entire Atlantic Basin and arrive on the coasts of the Americas with 10-25 m height. A more modest sized landslide (150 km^3) would result in waves arriving on the East Coast with 3-8 m height.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 6:42 PM on August 9, 2004

If the landslide of maximum estimated size (500 km^3) occurs, waves generated by the run-out could transit the entire Atlantic Basin and arrive on the coasts of the Americas with 10-25 m height. A more modest sized landslide (150 km^3) would result in waves arriving on the East Coast with 3-8 m height

would these be able to take out large skyscrapers?
posted by Stynxno at 7:08 PM on August 9, 2004

As long as Yankee Stadium in swept into the East River, it's fine by me.

Also, how many second before this is blamed on the Bush administration.

Wisconsin here in come!
posted by ParisParamus at 7:18 PM on August 9, 2004

How many seconds before the Bush Administration blames the terrorists and crank up that old color bar of fear?
posted by Perigee at 7:40 PM on August 9, 2004

I'm going to win the I, terrorist contest!
posted by lagado at 7:50 PM on August 9, 2004

Sounds like a WMD to me. Let's invade.
"Condi! Quick! To the Bushmobile! "
posted by bashos_frog at 7:58 PM on August 9, 2004

"The collapse will occur during some future eruption after days or weeks of precursory deformation and earthquakes. An effective earthquake monitoring system could provide advanced warning of a likely collapse and allow early emergency management organisations a valuable window of time in which to plan and respond."
--from the 'New Scientist' on the subject

Sounds like a job for PEACEFUL USES FOR NUCLEAR EXPLOSIVES!

You could do all sorts of things with nuclear engineering explosives to mitigate such a disaster. For example, sheer off chunks of that "Isle of Man"-sized rock, and use them to fill up the ocean trench below: exchanging one big tsunami for several moderate ones.
You could also set up one or more 'counter-waves' that would neutralize, to a great extent, the wave *en-route* across the ocean.
And, you might even be able to 'unplug' the volcano, so most of its energy goes off *in the wrong direction*, preventing a collapse in the first place.
posted by kablam at 8:13 PM on August 9, 2004

And on the other hand, you might be able to 'unplug' the volcano and accidently split the world in half at the same time!!!
posted by five fresh fish at 9:25 PM on August 9, 2004

Heh. It sounds like "Armageddon" mixed with "Chicken of the Sea."

"The fate of the planet is in the hands of a bunch of retards I wouldn't trust with a potato gun. "
posted by Perigee at 12:12 AM on August 10, 2004

Mega-tsunami!

As covered by the BBC's rather good Horizon programme.
posted by i_cola at 4:09 AM on August 10, 2004

Also, how many second before this is blamed on the Bush administration.

Must you shit in EVERY thread you post in? And with bad grammar?

If Boston goes, I want to go with it. Bostonians will gather at Castle Island and stare down the wave. And in unison, right before our deaths, we'll scream a defiant "YANKEES SUCK!"

LOL. That's OK. We'll just weave our pennants together into a giant raft and float to safety ;)
posted by mkultra at 7:15 AM on August 10, 2004

Hmm. That BBC link is from October 2000, so why the current round of news? A London Telegraph article is more clear on that:

funding to British scientists investigating the threat has been stopped...Spanish funding for a monitoring project dried up several years ago.

Can't blame the scientists for now looking to the US, but it's odd the Independent didn't mention that British funding had apparently just ended.
posted by mediareport at 7:30 AM on August 10, 2004

It would have to be a pretty big wave to get Washington, DC. We're way inland. But hey, Ryvar, thanks for the love.
posted by coelecanth at 7:49 AM on August 10, 2004

I don't understand how waves this size can wipe out entire cities. The highest (natural) point in NYC is 150 feet, so I guess a 50 meter wave would hit everything. But 8 meters? People surf waves that high, although not going 800 mph or however fast the tsunami is supposed to go.

I wish the reports were more clear on what exactly the effects would be, besides just "taking out" entire cities.

Guess I'll just rent the movie.
posted by swift at 8:03 AM on August 10, 2004

This analysis of the Alaskan earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 1964 gives a good estimate of the damage that can be caused by a tsunami.
posted by monju_bosatsu at 8:37 AM on August 10, 2004

Isn't DC on the shores of some big inland water way?
posted by Mitheral at 9:20 AM on August 10, 2004

Yeah -- we'd probably survive any tsunami, but be destroyed by the surge of water shoved back up the Potomac River from the Chesapeake Bay.
posted by armage at 9:44 AM on August 10, 2004

Okay, now imagine that this all happens just at that moment where the world freezes up like in the "Day After Tomorrow", and New York has a 150-foot frozen tsunami hanging over it forever. That would be, like, so awesome!
posted by briank at 9:49 AM on August 10, 2004

Because it would be like, I wish the ocean would melt again, but then if it did: tsunami!
posted by coelecanth at 10:08 AM on August 10, 2004

Sounds great. Canada can reclaim some territory. WOOT!
posted by shepd at 10:16 AM on August 10, 2004

Sorry, what? DAfterT has a 150' wave flash-frozen by climate change?

That must be one damned awful movie.
posted by five fresh fish at 10:23 AM on August 10, 2004

How do feel about being the meat in a tsunami sandwich? I read somewhere that Mauna Loa in Hawaii has the similar properties. If those aren't bad enough there's always Yellowstone. But this has been discussed here before.
posted by wobh at 11:10 AM on August 10, 2004

looking at the maps someone linked to earlier, i seem "safe" from this killer wave.

i wonder if the wave would "bounce" back off the US and do any damage to europe, i.e. would the energy be sufficient to cross the atlantic twice.

if it could, there's another thing to blame the US for. well, the US or Christopher Columbus....
posted by knapah at 2:41 PM on August 10, 2004

Not only is the Hawaii one as bad, but there are even people that think it will be a sign of the apocalypse.

(yeah, I think he is serious)
posted by norm at 3:40 PM on August 10, 2004

if it could, there's another thing to blame the US for. well, the US or Christopher Columbus....

I know the first two Harry Potter movies stank, and then there's Home Alone, but why blame the director for the coming tsunami?
posted by norm at 3:41 PM on August 10, 2004

I couldn't be happier about the prospect of every man, woman, and child in all three places drowning horribly.

I'm ashamed at how proud I've been, until this moment, of my own vast misanthropy.
posted by Mo Nickels at 8:28 AM on August 11, 2004