Here is how Netflix's new binge-worthy limited series is inspired by an theoretical ecological disaster which could possibly happen in the real world.
From zombie apocalypses to erupting super-volcanoes and deadly asteroids, we clearly cannot get enough of the disaster drama genre.
Which means it's no surprise that a dramatic four-part series depicting how a volcanic explosion in the Canary Islands could have a knock on effect across the rest of the world is currently charting in Netflix's Top 10 programmes in the UK today.
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Check out the trailer for the series below:
Premiering on the streaming platform last week, La Palma is a Norwegian mini series which sees a family's Christmas holiday derailed when a young scientist notices worrying activity from the island's volcanos.
With the volcano's impending eruption threatening a 'mass the size of Manhattan' falling into the sea and causing the 'largest tsunami the world has ever seen', will the family escape 'the disaster of ash, gas, and lava in a fight for their lives?'
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The hypothetical disaster which unfolds in La Palma sounds very dramatic, but how likely is it that an eruption at Cumbre Vieja volcano would cause 'the largest tsunami the world has ever seen?'
How realistic are the events depicted in La Palma?
In La Palma, we learn how scientists are concerned that a volcanic eruption would cause a massive landslide, roughly the size of Manhattan, the crash into the Atlantic Ocean. The knock on effect would lead to a tsunami which could reach as far as the east coast of America.
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Could this situation happen in real life?
The specific events of La Palma may be fiction, but they are in-fact based off of a chilling 2001 prediction of how Cumbre Vieja could erupt.
Published in a research paper by Steven N. Ward and Simon Day, the theory follows the idea that volcanic activity on the island could lead to a major collapse and subsequent tsunami.
However, the scenario isn't a cause for immediate panic, as more recent studies have since cast doubt on the 2001 hypothesis.
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According to research published by the United States Geological Survey in 2021, our understanding of tsunamis has advanced significantly in the past two decades.
"The Canary Islands “mega-tsunami” scenario assumed a single, coherent, massive collapse block that reached a high velocity very quickly," the research paper reads.
"Ocean floor mapping surrounding the Canary Islands, however, indicates that collapses instead occur in incremental or piecemeal fashion.
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"In addition, geomorphologists found, via slope stability analysis, that the potential collapse volume is much smaller than was simulated by the 2001 paper."
It's also worth pointing out that Cumbre Vieja last erupted in 2021 and while the eruption was devastating, it didn't cause the scenario depicted in La Palma.
Topics: Netflix, TV and Film
Brenna Cooper