Concerns have been raised that if Cumbre Vieja blows on the Canary Islands, the massive slab of rock could smash into the Atlantic Ocean causing a killer tidal wave.
The Canary Islands have been struck by 50 earthquakes in three days, notably in La Palma, Tenerife and Gran Canaria where tremors of low magnitude and intensity were measured between 1.5 and 2.7 on the Richter Scale.
The earthquakes, from the Spanish archipelago’s most active volcano, which is located on the island of La Palma, have sparked panic across the Canary Islands, with volcano experts pulled in to examine the unusual seismic activity.
The “seismic swarm” activity could be sign La Palma’s volcano could be set to erupt, leaving a trial of destruction along the US East Coast, Spain and even Britain.
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The warning comes from Dr Steven Ward, of the University of California, and Dr Simon Day, of the Benfield Greig Hazard Research Centre at University College London.
They found that if the Cumbre Vieja – an active but dormant volcano – were to erupt, the western flank of the mountain could tumble into the sea.
Writing in Geophysical Research Letters, they said a build-up of groundwater could destabilise a block of rock up to 500 cubic km in size, which could break off, smashing into the sea at up to 350 km an hour (220 mph).
This eruption could cause the landslide, which will unleash a deadly wall of water, initially almost 3,000ft high and several miles wide, to hurtle towards the UK’s southern shores, at speeds of up to 800 km an hour (500 mph).
The energy released by the collapse would equal the entire US electricity consumption for six months.
Waves 100 metres (330ft) from crest to trough would strike the African coast, while north-eastwards it would affect Spain, Portugal and France, and could still approach 12m (40ft) when they hit the UK.
The authors reported: “The maximum impact would be felt in some key places in the Canaries,” adding “in La Palma, the city of Santa Cruz would be hit by two simultaneous flood waves with devastating consequences”.
Dr Day told Daily Star Online last year that the monster volcano has erupted roughly once every 50 to 70 years on average, each time raising the probability of a collapse.
The younger 1949-metre-high Cumbre Vieja, the southern volcano, is one of the most active in the Canaries.
But it is due to blow another violent outburst of lava because its last eruption was back in 1971.
Express.co.uk reported on Tuesday that the islands, popular holiday destinations with Britons, had been struck by 40 earthquakes in just 48 hours.
But overnight and into dawn, 10 more tremors were recorded from the huge Cumbre Vieja volcano, which sits on La Palma.
One of them reported a magnitude of 2.1, which took place just after midnight.