How far inland would a mega Tsunami travel if it hit Scotland coming in from the north sea or Arctic circle or hit the uk from the Atlantic?

[Diceroller]

I have three scenarios here. A 100 ft Tsunami. A 500 ft Tsunami and a 1000ft Tsunami.

[jackthehat]

Have you ever looked at a contour-relief map of the UK ?

This will illustrate how far above Newlyn Datum are various points on mainland UK and ought to be able to assist you in answering your question.

[pa___ul3]

would the distance from the Arctic icecaps to Scotland be sufficient to produce a mega tsunami? I'm certain the North Sea isn't big enough! Or am I getting it wrong?

[jackthehat]

pa___ul3 - The OP has posted several 'challenging' scenarios on here.
All are on the hypothetical spectrum......

[pa___ul3]

aaah ok, well you're further north than me so if it does ever happen give me a heads up! ;)

[jackthehat]

I ought to be able to give you enough time to get your wellies on. :o)

[beso]

The measurements of tsunami's as you have used are meaningless.

On the open ocean they are only a few centimetres (inches) high. They only rise to significant heights when they reach shallow water.

[Diceroller]

Okay A 100 ft Tsunami. A 500 ft Tsunami and a 1000ft Tsunami all measured as they were about to hit land. Obviously these are hypothetical situations but let us speculate.

[Diceroller]

I appologise if my question has wasted your time but I wasn't forcing anyone to read or post on this thread and was only looking for discussion.

[beso]

The tsunami interacts with the landscape so it depends on the terrain all the way from when the depth of the ocean is less than the wavelength of the tsunami through to the slope of the ground where it ultimately stops.

[ChuckFickens]

have a play (keep in mind that, as Beso said, most tsunamis only start as a swell a few centimetres high)

http://chair.pa.msu.e.../tsunami/tsunami.html

[Davethedog]

Isn't the thing about a tsunami, is that it gains height due the seas contours and no resistance on the surface. Once it hits land it can only go so far and part of that relates to the speed at which it moves. As JTH says, given the contours of Scotland, I would speculate it wouldn't be that far.

[beso]

Consider the importance of geography in the largest tsunami on record.

http://geology.com/re...biggest-tsunami.shtml

[beso]

The energy required to move a quantity of water upwards is directly proportional to the height it rises. The energy of the wave is proportional to the square of the speed it is moving. Because of the square relationship the speed of a wave is the most important factor.

This speed to height conversion relationship applies at an instantaneous values at every point where the wave encounters the land so it is incredibly complex. Accurate modelling of the ingress of a tsunami requires very powerful computers and a lot of measurement.

[atalanta]

Wait for it - this one is The Biggie. It will be hugely enormously colossal. It will happen - sooner or later, so pray it will be after your lifetime. There is a massive chunk of an island in the Canaries, called La Palma, which is unstable. It WILL ( not might) drop off its base, and a trillion tonnes of rock will smash into the sea in a few minutes. This is calculated ( in an article in the New Scientist) to result in ten tsunami waves, one after the other, each at least 50 metres high when they reach the coast of the USA (and probably the Caribbean and possibly the northern coasts of South America. ) That's about 160 feet high or more hitting the USA. . Total devastation will result for at least a hundred kilometres inland. This unbelievable water-power will sweep round the Atlantic coasts until it reaches all other coasts, including Greenland, Iceland, Western Europe and Western Africa. The power of the water hitting Britain will probably not be even one-tenth of what hits the USA, but it will still be terrifying.
Thank goodness I live on a ridge, well inland !
There may be devastating surges into the Mediterranean.

[DTCwordfan]

That theory has also been countered by a raft of eminent geologists who say that the cliff will not break up in one massive piece, thus discounting such an impact. The bigger impact would come from yet another shift on the Gibralter fault off Portugal that caused the destruction of lower Lisbon and sent a 10-15ft wave into S England and Ireland (destroying some of the old Galway city walls).

[atalanta]

And then there's Hawaii. Volcanic, unstable. - another inevitable devastating tsunami waiting to happen
But Europe should be safe.