A tsunami triggered by landslides on the volcanic Canary Island of La Palma could crush the eastern U.S. seaboard — or not, according to the latest computer simulations.
An active volcano called Cumbre Vieja dominates La Palma’s southern flank, and someday a gargantuan chunk of it may slough into the Atlantic Ocean. Resulting waves could demolish Canary Island coasts, parts of Europe and Africa’s west coast. Then, in a cinematic twist redolent of disaster flicks like 2012, giant waves would crush the U.S. East Coast.
A group of researchers in 2001 floated the possibility that 80-foot waves from La Palma’s collapse could scour New York City, Washington D.C. and other coastal areas. Most scientists remain skeptical of this worst-case scenario and they have focused on exploring it instead of smaller and, perhaps, more likely tsunami scenarios.