Australia is in danger of being hit by a devastating 60-metre high tsunami which ‘threatens to strike at any time’ according to an expert on the matter.
It’s been warned that the country could be hit by destructive waves caused by meteorite strikes, which are hard to detect and therefore more difficult to prepare for than with landslides or earthquakes, which also cause tsunamis.
Tsunami expert Dr Ted Bryant has found evidence that huge tsunamis have wreaked havoc across the east coast of Australia in the past.
He believes between 4,000 and 5,000 years ago, a tsunami hit the Shoalhaven delta, near Nowra, on the New South Wales South Coast which sent water 10km inland.
Evidence has also been found that monumental waves from a past tsunami reached the Blue Mountains, which lay 50km inland.
According to Australian Geographic, Dr Bryant believes the most recent tsunami to have occurred in 1491, which he thinks produced a wave that washed over the harbour’s headlands, 60m above sea level.
A similar wave today could potentially cause mass destruction to the country.
Experts have said the country’s coastal cities have been fortunate not to be struck by destructive waves triggered by meteor impacts or seismic activity, but that it is only a matter of time before the country is hit.
Dale Dominey-Howes, co-director of the Australian Tsunami Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, said:
If it occurred without warning on a Saturday afternoon in summer the impacts would be catastrophic. I suspect it’s only a matter of time before we are affected by something damaging.
Due to their difficulty to detect, Australia’s coastline is monitored 24 hours a day for approaching tsunamis, which are only recorded once every two years in Australia.
Be wary, Australians!
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.