· 2 min read
illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Euronews or enjoy below:
🗞️ Driving the news: The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC) predicts with 100% certainty that a tsunami over one meter will hit the Mediterranean within the next 30 years
• The Averroes fault beneath the Alboran Sea is the identified danger zone, and a resulting earthquake could generate six-meter waves reaching Spain in as little as 21 minutes
🔭 The context: Historically, Spain has experienced only seven tsunamis since 365 AD
• While not expected to reach the devastating scale of the Indian Ocean or Japanese tsunamis, a Mediterranean tsunami could still cause significant damage and casualties
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The potential tsunami poses significant environmental and safety risks for coastal areas, with possible severe impacts on marine ecosystems and human settlements along the Mediterranean coastline
⏭️ What's next: Countries like Spain and France are developing and testing early warning and evacuation plans
• The Spanish town of Chipiona is pioneering efforts to become "tsunami-ready" by conducting mock evacuation drills
💬 One quote: “We don’t expect waves of 20 meters, like in Japan, Chile, or Sumatra, but more like one to two meters.” - Hélène Hébert, national coordinator of France’s CENALT
📈 One stat: Around 100 tsunamis have occurred in the Mediterranean and surrounding seas since the beginning of the 20th century
Click for more news covering the latest on effects
