Massive ‘megatsunami’ from unstable Spain volcano could wipe out US East Coast within hours, scientist says

A UK scientist has warned that a massive "megatsunami" could devastate the US East Coast within hours if an unstable volcano in Spain's Canary Islands were to collapse into the sea. Dr. Bill McGuire, a volcanologist, has been monitoring Cumbre Vieja, a volcano that could potentially cause a deadly transatlantic tsunami. The primary concern is a large rock formation, known as a "flank," which is moving towards the sea and could displace a tremendous amount of water if it collapses.

McGuire predicts that should the flank fall, it would trigger a megatsunami. While there is debate about the scale of destruction and whether such waves could reach the North American coast, geologists have found physical evidence of past Canary Island tsunamis that transported large boulders across the Atlantic. Computer simulations suggest that if a flank collapse occurs, waves could reach up to 65 feet high and reach the Eastern Seaboard within nine hours.

However, experts emphasize that such a catastrophic event is not expected to happen immediately and may not occur for centuries or even millennia.