As previously reported, US and British scientists claim an eruption on the Canary Islands could trigger a "mega-tsunami" that could strike North America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, Brazil and W. Africa. A volcanic landslide would trigger this.
Many wave experts, however, say that such tsunamis from landslides are smaller than the ones generated by earthquakes. "Science of Tsunami Hazards" editor Charles Mader says a tsunami from La Palma hitting N. America wouldn't be over a meter high.
But, Bill McGuire, of the UK-based Benfield Hazard Research Center, says the model predicting an Atlantic mega-tsunami is still correct. If scientists agree on anything, it is that the community before underestimated the dangers of tsunamis.