View Single Post
  #40   Report Post  
Old 03-01-2005, 05:31 PM
Bob Hobden
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Nick Maclaren" wrote ..
after "Bob Hobden"
The nearest tectonic plates to us are in the N.Atlantic and are divergent
boundaries causing the N.Atlantic Ridge, because these plates are pulling
apart there is little chance of a tsunami being caused. The plate
boundaries
in S E Asia are convergent which is why they suddenly moved 100 ft over
one
another, when they overcame the friction between themselves, causing the
waves.
I would be more worried about the effects of the change in the earths
rotation caused by this earthquake.


You may be right that divergent plates will cause less of a shock wave
than convergent ones, but I should be flabberghasted if they couldn't
cause enough of one to cause trouble, given the shallowing and focussing
of the Channel. Without doing some precise modelling, I can't say what
effects that would have on the UK, but it is relatively unlikely to be a
major event. Probably not more than 100,000 dead.


We are partly protected from the N. Atlantic by Ireland and the coast that
is exposed is high and used to big waves so I can't see serious problems
caused by tectonic plate movement there when it's so far below the surface.
Of course if it gets channelled up the Channel then the S. coast could
suffer badly all the way to the S. Downs but there are a lot of ifs and buts
for that to happen. The Seven Bore might be a little bigger than normal too!


However, it is NOT true that the UK is safe from earthquakes. There
have been some Richter 5+ events on the mainland (including one that
killed two people, our only deaths), but there has been a Richter 6.0
under the Dogger bank. If that occurred under London, the carnage
could be immense, and it is not completely impossible. But it is
pretty unlikely.


True, never said we were. However we don't normally get anything we notice
unless we are a scientist.


However, the most likely cause of water-borne carnage is a certainty
in the next century or so, but our wonderful government is attempting
(and failing) to hide it using terrorism legislation. Probably so
that they can say "But we couldn't POSSIBLY have known" and the
resulting enquiry will acquit them of all negligence.


Could you explain that Nick? Are we back to the Canaries again?

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London