[Conspiracy Guy]

I think it would take a whole bunch of explosives

[LibWrangler]

In my opinion, the only crack open for discussion here, is the one in your head.

[Poohbah]

Several tons of explosives? Sheesh. Try several hundred MEGAtons of nuclear yield.

[Publius6961]

NO

[CedarDave]

Several years ago, it was postulated that a large undersea landslide in the area when the eastern US continental shelf meets the deep Atlantic trench could trigger a similar tsunami along the east coast. The geologists postulating such an event said if (a BIG if) the area was susceptible to such a landslide it would not take more than a minor local earthquake for the event to occur. Haven't heard the possibility of this mentioned by all the current crop of news infopersons. Don't know whether the idea has been discredited or whether it has just been overlooked in favor of the Canary Islands scenario.

Anyone heard any news on this front?

[Yo-Yo]

Already been tried.

[jim macomber]

"Michael Crichton's new book "State of Fear" addresses this very issue. Good read."

Just last evening I finished "Scimitar SL-2" by Patrick Robinson which is about this EXACTLY - terrorists nuke La Palma, tsunami, hits the east coast, etc.

The book's not bad IMHO and operates from a political perspective that most of us here would not have a problem with except for one thing. The jacket lists the author as splitting his time betwen Ireland and Cape Cod and I fear he has that Irish obsession with Kennedy adoration.

Beginning on page 268, out of nowhere, he brings in Senator Edward kennedy by name and describes him as "...the senior member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, whose patriotism was unquestioned and whose personal motives to act on behalf of the United States were always impeccable."

I kept waiting for the punch line but he was serious.

I mean, I know this is fiction but.....sheesh!!

[Big Digger]

IMHO, I don't believe an Atlantic Ocean tsunami can be generated by collapsing the side of a mountain, say in the Canary Islands, into the sea in the tidal depth zone. There would be a big splash but the energy would dissipate fairly locally in the air/water interface. You would need a deep ocean tectonic displacement, similar to what has just ocurred in South Asia. In the Atlantic, it would take the African Plate slipping against the North American Plate, to displace the amount of water and generate the impulse necessary to power this type of wave. The energy is trapped and travels unseen underwater until it reaches a coastline where it dissipates by breaking in the shallows and flooding over the shoreline. Am I all wet, or what?

[Disambiguator]

Here's a possible solution: http://abacusplans.com/plans/ABA-PBC1.asp

[ZULU]

Are you related to Tommy Thompson? (Just joking)

[elephantlips]

Why don't we all get together and come up with a long list of all the things the terrorists could do to bring harm to our country. Who knows, maybe we could dream up some things that hadn't occurred to them. (Dripping with sarcasm) Isn't there enough going on to occupy journalists and bloggers so that this type of speculation could be avoided? No? Maybe, it's just me.

[Jackapoozee]

Just to clear something up...regarding the power of the Asia Earthquake, a 9.0 magnitude event.

The Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs were almost 20 kilotons (20,000) tons each.

A thousand times this would be equivalent to a 20 megaton bomb. The largest detonation of an nuclear device by the US was a 15 megaton bomb in the bikini atoll in March 1958. Although very large and destructive, it in NO WAY could compare to the energy required to displace the amount of water in the Indian Ocean Earthquake!

A previous post mentioned the power of the Indian Ocean Earthquake being a million atomic bombs. Yes...maybe a million "1-megaton bombs".

And...any explosion would have to displace a hole helluva alot of water vertically up or down. I'm not a scientist but to say that terrorists or anybody for that matter could cause a tsunami is pretty crazy.

[SunkenCiv]

Nah. Unless the hunk of rock is just barely hanging on by a thread, in which case driving a heavy truck back and forth along it might do it. ;')

Massive Tsunami Sweeps Atlantic Coast In Asteroid Impact Scenario (Surf's Up)
UC Santa Cruz Press Release | May 27, 2003 | UC Santa Cruz Press Release
Posted on 05/29/2003 9:57:14 AM PDT by Mike Darancette
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/919723/posts

Hollywood fantasy? Tidal wave disaster is just waiting to happen
The Guardian Unlimited ^ | August 10, 2004 | Ian Sample
Posted on 08/11/2004 5:57:52 PM PDT by pepsi_junkie
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1189804/posts

'Rogue waves' reported by mariners get scientific backing
yahoo news ^ | 7/21/04 | unknown
Posted on 07/23/2004 1:25:25 AM PDT by Rebelbase
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1176910/posts

Ship-sinking monster waves revealed by ESA satellites European Space Agency ^ | 7/21/04
Posted on 07/22/2004 10:25:27 PM PDT by uglybiker
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1176837/posts

Ship-sinking Monstor Waves Revealed By ESA Satellites
European Space Agency. | 21 July 2004
Posted on 07/25/2004 12:36:29 AM PDT by Yosemitest
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1178061/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1178061/posts?page=8#8

Books, Magazines, Movies, Music Amazon ^ | March 2004 | Anatoly T. Fomenko
Posted on 07/11/2004 9:34:44 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1169550/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1169550/posts?page=50#50

Giant wave could threaten US
BBC ^ | 10 August 2004
Posted on 08/09/2004 8:34:11 PM PDT by FormerACLUmember
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1188396/posts

Tidal wave threat 'over-hyped'
BBC UK ^ | Oct. 30, 2004
Posted on 10/31/2004 9:35:18 AM PST by Company Man
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1263784/posts

[Atlantic Friend]

I think it would be technically feasible : collapsing the Ross shelf in Antartica would probably cause a tsunami of an unseeen strength...Wasn't there a thriller about that, called "Icefire" or something ?