U addio l-inkwiet dwar id-dawl u l-ilma
Kullhadd ghal gol-parlament bl-istilts
The Daily Telegraph, today (on line edition)
Volcano tsunami could sink southern Italy ‘at any time’
Europe’s largest undersea volcano could disintegrate and unleash a tsunami that would engulf southern Italy “at any time”, a prominent volcanologist has warned.
The Marsili volcano, which is bursting with magma, has “fragile walls” that could collapse, Enzo Boschi told the daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.
“It could even happen tomorrow,” said Mr Boschi, president of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV).
“Our latest research shows that the volcano is not structurally solid, its walls are fragile, the magma chamber is of sizeable dimensions,” he said.
“All that tells us that the volcano is active and could begin erupting at any time.”
The event would result in “a strong tsunami that could strike the coasts of Campania, Calabria and Sicily,” Mr Boschi said.
The undersea Marsili, 9,800ft (3,000m) tall and located some 90 miles (150km) southwest of Naples, has not erupted since the start of recorded history.
It is 43 miles (70km) long and 19 miles (30km) wide, and its crater is some 1,476ft (450m) below the surface of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
“A rupture of the walls would let loose millions of cubic metres of material capable of generating a very powerful wave,” Mr Boschi said.
“While the indications that have been collected are precise, it is impossible to make predictions. The risk is real but hard to evaluate.”
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well, water would not be a problem, would it?
I’ve restrained myself so much from commenting on this blog – this time it’s too much…
my comment:
:-)
big one at that!
I bet Maltastar will blame this on GonziPN: he did not invest enough money in the plasma shield that will cover Malta and protect us from this tsunami.
Iva. I. Galea zgur isib kif ideffes lil-Gonzi fin-nofs jekk it-Times tippubblika din l-istorja.
Xi hmistax ilhu kien hemm ittra mil-professur Godfrey Wettinger dwar il-Medju Evu f’Malta. Taf li hemm ukoll dak il-defsa ta’ I. Galea irnexxielu idahhal kumment kontra Gonzi!
Maybe Lil Din’s foil dress will do the trick…
And don’t forget we may get a wave of black (volcanic) dust to keep Astrid occupied.
There will be plenty of champagne bottles popping in Northern Italy.
They better not get too cosy about it. If you look at the map, most probably Genova and Tunis will get a big wash if this happens.
Those little islands peppering the Tyrrhenian Sea are suddenly looking very uncomfortable.
We do not have to worry as Malta is shielded by the coast of northern Sicily.
It doesn’t work like that. Tsunamis diverge around coastal areas.
Joseph is right – Sicily, huge as it is, would likely shield Malta. Having said that, we are not immune to tsunamis by any means: an earthquake in the area, or a landslide from Etna could trigger one off that WOULD affect us.
David, you should check this animation: http://iri.columbia.edu/~lareef/tsunami/. Sri Lanka is almost twice the size of Sicily.
I think the biggest damage will happen within the confines of the Tyrrhenian Sea. There’s the issue of the two openings hitting Genoa and Tunis directly. The boot and Sicily will focus the wave up to Calabria, Corsica etc. The Strait of Messina would get a big pounding.
I’m sure we’ll get a soaking, but most probably it would be a reflection from Tunis and the general upset spreading to the rest of the Mediterranean.
Sri Lanka is not directly within the path of the wave so you get a deflection. If you draw a line from the volcano to Malta you’ll find Sicily sitting squarely in the middle with a conveniently shaped coast to reflect most of the wave back.
I don’t have a boat and live up on a hill miles from shore, so not worried too much.
My guess is that this story was pushed to accelerate the implementation of an early warning system for the Mediterranean.
Ha nghidlek, ahjar tsunami milli jitilaw il- PL fil- gvern.
glub glub glub
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZES3nJQYJok&feature=fvst
Jkolli nghid tal-gifa din! :)
Keep it up, Daphne…and happy Easter!
I suggest that you guys read today’s Leader on Maltastar and you will experience a veritable “tsunami” of grammatical and syntax nightmares the like of which will render the real thing a pleasurable experience were those cursed “fragile walls” to collapse.
Ok, so I wasn’t the only who felt at a complete loss. Can someone explain what “These PN people all know ‘there for the grace of God go I?'” is supposed to mean?
Well if Marsili does decide to blow Sicily will act as a good breakwater and we will then get enough water and Sicilian lemons coming our way to be able to forget about politics and enjoy a good limoncella among friends for the next hundred years.
1st Aoril is just 2 days away.
Thanks, Samantha, for giving us some sense of certainty.
Could this affect Malta or would Sicily take the brunt of it?
Daphne, when you quote can you give us the links as well? I’m curious on the details of this one now I’ll fell the compulsion to look it up in detail. I know there’s a submerged volcano somewhere south of Sicily and there’s the caldera of the Campi Flegri.
[Daphne – You have the whole news report there. And you can Google the rest yourself.]
After reading this post Charlon Gouder rushed out to buy a Blow-up-Betty Doll. He defended his purchase saying “not only can she save my life . . she has no handbag and she’ll never steal my wallet”
So, on the one hand we have a tsunami, on the other we have ‘it-terrimot’. Give me the tsumani please…
Nothing to worry about! It will not affect Malta because we are unsinkable and the world revolves around us.
Saviour will rescue us. All thosestacks of unread Malta Today newspapers will soak the water up.
Perhaps it will not affect Malta, but for sure it will affect the Maltese who bought property there.
Head for the hills, guys. Thinking about it, Siggiewi might be a good place to retreat to, and I hear the night life there is so good you can feel the earth move, never mind the tsunami.
If disaster hits this Good Friday, the only survivors may be Robert and Consie, after all…
Perish the thought, Cheater.
Daphne is an asset to Malta and to all those who wish for a better life.
can someone give me the updates as im really worried about this, jista jkun li tant ikun kbir li jghaddi min fuq sqallija u jibqa gej malta xorta?