Scientists are studying the rare tsunami waves that happen on the large lakes in Switzerland.
Scientists are studying the rare tsunami waves that happen on the large lakes in Switzerland.
Earthquakes that happen in the Swiss Alps trigger sub-surface landslides, which in turn cause the enormous, and sometimes devastating waves to occur.
Using a computer simulation, researchers can predict the complex movement pattern of the waves if there were to be an earthquake or landslide.
Professor Flavio Anselmetti from the University of Bern is quoted as saying: “We can predict to a certain degree what sort of earthquake is required to trigger which kinds of slopes, and because our numerical codes then allow us to calculate the resulting tsunami wave, we are somehow able to say which areas will be mostly affected.”
According to the study, there have been six seismic events over the past 15 thousand years, with the last documented earthquake in the area happening in 1601, measuring at a magnitude of 5 point 9, which caused flooding in nearby coastal villages.
Even though the events are extremely few and far between, experts say that the danger of tsunamis shouldn’t be overlooked because the areas surrounding the lakes now have more inhabitants and infrastructure that might be vulnerable in the event of a tsunami.
