A new documentary film called “La Gran Ola”
(the big wave) by Fernando Arroyo is to be released in May 2017. Unlike the “wave”
of disaster movies, this one is factual and involves nearly fifty of the world’s
leading scientists who conclude that according to the rules of geology an earthquake and tsunami will definitely happen, it is simply a question of when. They have
occurred before, and archaeological evidence has been found of at least 20 in
the Bay of Cádiz alone. In fact there are regular tremors in the order of 3 - 3.5
Richter as the African tectonic plate pushes north against the Iberian one.
The epicentre is likely to be on the sea bed
off the coast of Lisbon where there is constant seismic activity, and which was
the epicentre of the massive earthquake and tsunami of 1755 which killed tens of
thousands of people causing immense damage. It has been calculated that the
speed of the wave oscillated between 300 and 735 kph and hit Andalucía – from Huelva
to Cádiz - only 30 minutes later at a height of 16 metres. It also caused radical
changes to the landscape and even changed the course of some rivers. The city
of Cádiz is only 11 metres above sea level and much of the province is low
lying – like the Sherry vineyards - so there is much to lose.
After various earthquake and tsunami events already
this century there is now a World Day of Tsunami Awareness. Spain and Portugal
are working together to create an early warning system, but many believe its
rate of progress is too slow. Fernando Arroyo does not wish to be alarmist, but
such an event could happen at any time and it is only prudent to issue
warnings.
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