Department of Potential Disasters…: Forget Osama Bin Laden for a moment. According to research conducted by a group of European scientists, a collapsing volcano in the Canary Islands could dump half a trillion tons of rock into the Atlantic Ocean, unleashing a massive tidal wave that would swamp the east coast of the United States. The side of the Cumbre Vieja volcano is already in the process of slowly slipping into the sea. And computer simulations suggest that if the volcano erupts and dumps all the rock at once the result would be a wave 650 meters (2,130 feet) high that would travel westward across the Atlantic at 450 miles per hour. Within three hours the wave would swamp the east coast of Africa, within five hours it would reach southern England. And within twelve hours it would be crashing ashore in Miami and New York. By the time it got to the United States it would have moderated somewhat, dropping in height to a mere 130-160 feet high. Phew. That’s a relief. Oh, wait. That’s still a massive wall of water and the experts say it could sweep up to 12 miles inland. Some marine geologists are calling the threat overstated–a worst case scenario–and say that Cumbre Vieja is more likely to fall into the sea piece by piece. But Bill McGuire, director of the Benfield Hazard Research Center at University College London, says that previous eruptions in the Canaries have pushed up tsunamis that have tossed boulders more than 70 feet above sea level in the Bahamas. In any case, McGuire argues: “If you’re planning for any future disaster you’re not going to consider the least disastrous scenario, you’re going to consider the most.” McGuire and others are calling for an array of seismographic equipment at Cumbre Vieja, so the volcano can be closely monitored. That way, coastal residents around the Atlantic basin would have advance warning of a catastrophic eruption. And all the surfers looking for the 100-foot wave would have plenty of time to grab their boards and get into the water…



“Cowabunga, dude! Oh sh*t! I better line up to cruise cross town on 33rd street or I’m building splat…”