A unstable mountain, which risks collapsing at any time, in the Norwegian fjords. Here it is looming threat on the magnificent little village of Geiranger, a Norwegian. This peaceful place was listed as world heritage of UNESCO. He yet risks disappearingas well as the surrounding communities under a gigantic tsunami…
Specialists predict that the Åkernes mountain collapses. About a century ago, a crack had appeared in this Norwegian mountain. From year to year it grew, today extending over 70 meters deep. And she widens by 9.5 cm every year!
A former local farmer, now aged 90, says: “When I was little, we removed the peat moss that was growing over the crack to prevent people and animals from falling in. (…) We threw stones there and assessed the depth of the crack thanks to the sound of the impact.” With time, part of the mountain will eventually break away and fall into one of the deepest fjords in the country.
Consequence? This piece of cliff falling into the water will cause one of the largest tsunamis in history, even surpassing the tragic tsunami which had ravaged Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka in December 2004. According to the computer model behind the forecast, the tsunami will measure 100 meters in height and could intervene in 15 days as in 10 years…
It’s already been several years since the threat has been known authorities and residents. The crack is monitored by high-tech instruments allowing the slightest movement to be detected. To avoid a large-scale disaster, alarms have been installed. And the authorities and citizens are ready in case of evacuation.
They would then 10,000 inhabitants in total, living between Geiranger and Stranda, up to Tafjord, to have to be evacuated and moved from their homes at the slightest sign of movement of the fault. And for this, “it would be enough toa month of very heavy rain to speed up the process“, reveals Gustav Pless, geologist at the landslide monitoring center.
THE Rock formations around the world are filling with water. The global warming intensifies precipitation, saturating the cliffs with water and making them unstable. In Norway, in the fjords over 800 meters in height, if one of the cliffs was falling, in its fall it would cause a immense wave capable of erasing all the villages on the site from the world map.
Norwegian authorities don’t just have an escape plan to protect the site and its inhabitants. They planned rock wall stabilization work. The principle is to drain excess water from the cliffs, a technique that has already proven in Canada.
As far as the citizens are concerned, they don’t seem not worry about the seriousness of the situationas one resident reveals: “The danger of nature is part of our life“. Because the Norwegians hold on to their fjords and their culture. The date of the cliff slide is impossible to define precisely, residents continue tolive there without worrying about it.
The village of Geiranger sees parades thousands of tourists every year thanks to its UNESCO World Heritage listing. It is therefore possible to get there, the setting being truly magnificent, but itis at your own risk and with full knowledge of the facts…
Sources : NationalGeographic/20Minutes
