Mild Tsunami sweeps the South West coast of England

up for anything

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-13955321

morticia2

up for anything wrote: »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-13955321

well, I'm guessing with a max level of 1.3 ft, we don't need to start worrying about Hinkley Pt and Sizewell being the next Fukushima just yet....

thetonynator

up for anything wrote: »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-13955321

Don't watch the video, it is very disappointing . . .:cool:

up for anything

thetonynator wrote: »

Don't watch the video, it is very disappointing . . .:cool:

With a muzak soundtrack added it would be very relaxing.

At least we didn't see planes, trains and automobiles swept away along with people running for their lives or watching as everything they own is destroyed.

thetonynator

up for anything wrote: »

With a muzak soundtrack added it would be very relaxing.

At least we didn't see planes, trains and automobiles swept away along with people running for their lives or watching as everything they own is destroyed.

No, but then again bigger waves would be seen if someone dived into the water . . .:P

muckish

From the BGS website:



On 27 June 2011 a tsunami was reported in South West England, between Penzance and Portsmouth, along approximately 200 miles of coastline.
Personal anecdotes on the event have been published in the press from St Michael's Mount, Marazion and the Yealm Estuary.
The tsunami struck the Yealm at about 10.30 on 27 June; wave heights were 0.5–0.8 metres.
Tide data indicates an east to west progression of the wave, confirmed by observations at St Michael's Mount, where the water built up on the east side of the causeway (20 cm higher than on the west) before it was overtopped.
According to the Tidal Gauge Anomaly measure, which records the difference between the forecast tide and actual tide, the wave was higher by 20 cm in Newlyn, 30 cm in Plymouth and 40 cm in Portsmouth.
The water levels dropped and withdrew from the coast before the wave came in (Marazion, Cornwall). Video evidence shows the wave as a bore in the Yealm Estuary.
At St Michael's Mount there were reports of 'hair standing on end' before the wave struck.
No submarine landslide or earthquake evidence

Many reports concluded that the tsunami was created by a submarine landslide on the continental slope off of the South West, 200 miles south-west of Newlyn. However, this does not fit the observations:

• From the available data the tsunami wave progressed and decreased in height from east to west, indicating a source in the eastern English Channel: this rules out a source to the west.
  
  Thus a submarine landslide on the south-west continental slope is discounted; a source here would have resulted in a tsunami decreasing in height the opposite direction, from west to east.
  
  In addition, if a submarine landslide was located here there would have been a tsunami wave at other locations, such as in southern Ireland and France — none has been reported.
• Most likely geological sources in the eastern channel are considered to be either an earthquake or a submarine landslide.
  
  No earthquakes were reported at this time.
  It is also unlikely that a submarine landslide took place in the eastern channel.
  
  Submarine landslides need unstable sediment to form; additionally they need a trigger, most commonly an earthquake.
  
  In addition, a submarine landslide would have created a tsunami focused on the nearest coastline, and the area of inundation would have been limited — less than 200 miles.
  
  None of these conditions are known to be satisfied; there was no earthquake, no locations of unstable sediment are known that could be mobilised and there seems to be no area of focused tsunami waves.

Meteotsunami or meteorological tsunami

There were storms in the south-east of England on 27 June 2011. At Wimbledon, play was restricted to the covered Centre Court on Monday afternoon, and there was thunder and lightning.

One aspect that is novel, and may bear on the answer, is the 'hair standing on end' before the tsunami that was reported from St Michael's Mount, that suggests an atmospheric source, as it is known that this phenomena can take place in association with lightning.
Our conclusion is that the tsunami was not geological in origin.
It was probably caused by a meteorological effect, such as a squall over the ocean developed during summer storms; these events are called meteotsunami.
These types of waves are common all over the world and are known by their local names, such as: rissaga (Spain), milghuba (Malta), marrobbio (Italy), and abiki (Japan).
We know that there were storms in the south-east of England on 27 June. At Wimbledon, play was restricted to the covered Centre Court on Monday afternoon, and there was thunder and lightning.
Historical events

Meteotsunamis are not unusual in the UK (Haslett et. al, 2009). With the following historical events recognised along the south coast of England:

Yealm (Devon) and Fowey estuaries (Cornwall), 18 August 1892 — thunderstorms reported, The Times (1892a) also reports this event in the River Yealm as well as stating that 'there was a rapid rise in the River Fowey as a great tidal wave, but this immediately subsided'. Davison (1924) considers that they generated the large tsunami-like waves.
Folkestone (Kent) and Brighton (Sussex), 20 July 1929 — large tsunami-like wave struck the Kent and Sussex coasts, busy with tourists, and drowned two people, at Brighton and Worthing the wave was accompanied by sudden downpours of rain and high winds, but at Folkestone and Hastings, where one person drowned at each, the weather was clear and the unexpected wave was estimated to be c. 3.5 m and 6 m high, respectively. Douglas (1929) suggests the wave was caused by a squall-line travelling up the English Channel, coincident with thunderstorms, and so may be referred to as a meteotsunami.