Tsunami & Tidal Waves: From the previous topics on the potential for a “magnetic” pole shift, a “geographic” pole shift and the resulting shift in Earth’s crust, you can see that our oceans may present the greatest threat of natural disaster to all forms of life. The extent of this potential is even visible now as floods, tsunamis, and torrential rains cause the majority of fatalities from natural disaster around the world.
We’ve discussed the potential for a geological cataclysmic event from either type of pole shift as Earth’s crust moves across the magma until settling into a new state of equilibrium. Now let’s discuss the difference between the motions of Earth’s crust versus the motion of the oceans during such an event.
To do this, we must first consider the difference between the rigidity of a shift in Earth’s crust and the fluidity of its oceans. Dirt is more dense than water and does not flow as freely unless it is either saturated with water or a large enough force is applied that creates substantial momentum. A landslide is an example of how earth moves under extreme conditions. A landslide can only occur if one or more conditions are met including: steep incline, weak substructure, moisture, and the application of vertical or horizontal forces. If any one of these conditions is large enough, a landslide is possible, but is still much more limited in the distance it can travel than with water. In fact, due to the friction created as earth moves across earth, the distance of motion is extremely limited without a continuous application of force.
Water, on the other hand, moves freely when force is applied. In fact, even the slightest disturbance of water creates motion and the only conditions you need to create this motion include: displacement, vertical, or horizontal forces. Motion of water can be created from a variety of sources including: changes in altitude such as a river, wind blowing across its surface, or the gravitation forces from the Moon. And once water begins to move it continues until enough energy is removed over time to slow or stop the motion. In the case of a lake or ocean, this means that waves can literally move from one shore to the other, and back again.
Approximately 70% of Earth’s surface is covered by water. Of course, 100% of Earth is covered by land; it’s just that only 30% of that land is above the water. As we discussed earlier, when Earth’s crust moves violently, it’s generally a short period of time before it settles into a new state of equilibrium. Good examples of this concept are earthquakes. Earthquakes can be very violent, but generally occur for only short durations with recordings generally only in the few seconds, but in extreme cases up to about 10 minutes.
The fluidity of water is what makes it so devastating. Once water starts moving, it doesn’t just stop until it generally hits something. It may slow down gradually, but it literally keeps moving across lakes and even oceans until it reaches a shoreline. And it doesn’t simply stop when it hits shore, but actually bounces off the shoreline, losing some of its momentum in the process, and starts back in the direction it came from. The cataclysm affects from these waves will probably last for weeks or months as these waves circle the globe before dissipating completely.
