According to a study, the Mediterranean coast could become highly vulnerable to tsunamis in the coming years.
What if a tsunami came to destroy the Mediterranean coasts in the coming years? According to a study by Probabilistic Tsunami in the Mediterranean Sea, published in the journal Pure and applied geophysicsand spotted by our colleagues from The Independentthe probability is close to 100% within 30 years.
Waves six meters high
The south of Spain, from Valencia to Malaga, via the Balearic Islands, is undoubtedly likely to be the most affected region. Still among our Spanish neighbors, the Atlantic coast is also exposed to very heavy damage due to the Averroes marine fault, located in the Alboran Sea, which could generate waves of six meters in height which could reach the Spanish coast in just over 20 minutes.
The Intergovernmental Ocean Commission, cited by The Independent, is campaigning to urgently set up a tsunami warning system in the region. If the tsunami in question is powerful enough, it can cross the ocean basin and reach the most distant coasts, as was the case in 2004 in the Indian Ocean where the waves first submerged the island of Sumatra before reach Brazil 22 hours later.
