A question about a controlled explosion! (to stop a mega tsunami!)

[nosefirsteverytime]

Don't worry, I'm on about the ones used for building demolition purposes and mining and that sort of thing, not car-bombs and stuff like that!.....

Anyway, just after seeing the Horizon Docu on the mega tsunami from Las Palmas island in the Canaries that'll hit the East Coast of the USA. A scary and sobering thought. Well, I was just wondering, and I thought this'd be a good place to put such a query (as far as I know, most military personell have some grasp of explosives and stuff like that, although the more experience, the better for answering....), Hypothetically, what kind of operation would be put up if a no-expenses-barred operation was held to make a controlled landslide on the island? Would it be possible? If you put a large amount of high explosive in certain strategic locations, would that do it? Or would Nuclear force be the only option? (If so, then God help New York, for no one'll nuke the canaries!)
Would the nukes only worsen the problem?

[L J R]

Hollywood really has made a mark on this question..

[nosefirsteverytime]

sorry, it's just when I see a natural disaster, I always try and think of a solution somehow. i actually got the idea from a few docus about controlled explosions, used to knock buildings. I know well how ludicrous it sounds, but can anyone think of an alterative? I'm not saying explosives solve everything, but we can't just shrug our shoulders and watch as the East coast of the USA, Canada, Brazil, the Caribbean, and maybe Gibraltar and un-sheltered Atlantic coasts of Europe are wiped out (Europe maybe not, as the landslide'll hit the sea facing east).
It all sounds absolutely nucking futs, but with a few million lives at stake, It's almost worth considering. Almost. I don't really think so now I've calmed down. I had half a mind that there was nothing you can do about it when I wrote, but now it's more 9/10 against. Besides who knows, maybe they'll find another more viable way to fix this......

If anyone out there has ideas, even just to say a good evac plan for all those places, I'm guessing not, but who knows......

Hollywood had nothing to do with this, just fear and a brainstorming session.

[ 13 July 2001: Message edited by: nosefirsteverytime ]

[Gash Handlin]

A controlled series of explosions to blow little bits off in a serious of small landslides would be fairly easy to setup, problem would probably be the cost of insurance in case it went wrong and caused the mega-tsunami you were trying to avoid.

Personally I think it would be more intresting to set off the huge landslide needed to prove the theory is right, then stand back and watch how the spams cope without the eastern seaboard :D

[Flying_Padre]

I really wouldn't get that worked up about it - we've probably got more chance of being wiped out by metorite.
http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/mica/dino1b.gif

major/minor cataclimic events have been going on since this planet formed - it's all dynamic - if your worried move away from the coast on a big hill - you'll have a great view.

As for trying to blow bits off the rock mass - I think our past attempts at trying to influencing global environmental issues have usually gone a bit 'Pete Tong' a la global warming. Despite what the 'Spams' say it does exist and it's our fault.

Anyway off the soap box - I'm off to deforest Bolivia and fill my Jag up with full fat 4 star null

[only1leftmate!]

Trying to cancel out a tidal wave with one in the opposite direction will not work. The waves will pass through each other. As for blowing bits off into the sea, you ought to look at the local geology. Is the explosion area on a plate boundary and if so is it subductive?

personally I think you have more chance of getting the entire population of China to jump up and down simultaneously and in complete orchestration (as they did during the official celebrations for the 2008 games)

Excellent thread though, especially as I'm on my third beer.

[sprucemoose]

I saw Horizon as well, and can't see a problem - if the Canaries collapse, the wave isn't heading for Newquay!

Nice idea on the controlled demolition, but how much explosive will it take - we're talking about an enormous amount of material? Perhaps something more like the leaning Tower of Pisa - get it to slump back the other way!

Leave nature to nature, and even if it's as bad as they reckon (and it wouldn't be) the US east coast'll dry out after a couple of days.

[desertbootz]

WARNING... Highly simplistic answer approaching...
1. Presume all you want to do is get rid of the material that is in danger of slumping or sufficient for prevention.
2. Presume the use of nuclear devices for excavation.
3. Presume you'd do it in stages to prevent
a) The very cataclysmic collapse of La Palma you want to prevent
b) Putting a big hole in the earths crust
c) Nuclear winter

The material believed to be unstable amounts to some 500 Billion tonnes. According to data from Project Ploughshare which tested the viability of nuclear weapons for excavation, a 100 Kilotonne device will shift about 12 million tonnes of dirt. The rough calculation is that it would take around 400 Megatonnes to clear the whole lot or something less to clear enough until the danger from mega tsunami is past.
So, lets call it about half of 400 Megatonnes?
I reckon the smart money would be on a method to disrupt the lava dykes and allow the trapped water to bleed off...

[sprucemoose]

Or:

* start rumours of a Canaries gold rush!
* cover the island with goats (they'll eat anything)
* send a lot of sandal-clad Geology students to the island with ice axes
* let Palestinian kids collect anything lose for use back home...

[nosefirsteverytime]

ROTF at some of these posts!!!!

Well, as the REM song went...

"it's the end of the world as we know it,
And I feel fiiine!"

(shrugs shoulders and takes out large loans)