There, deep off the shores of the Egyptian city of Sharm el-Sheikh, the Red Sea hides powerful geological forces that could endanger the coasts of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
According to a report in Science Alert, this idea came to Sam Brix, a marine geologist from the University of Miami as he stared out the window of a submarine 900 meters deep in the Strait of Tiran, where he saw the gap that appeared through the submarine's dim light, Which is 3 meters wide and 8 meters long.
A tsunami with a height of 20 meters can severely threaten the coastline of Egypt and Saudi Arabia (Al-Jazeera)
Underwater landslide
“Immediately, I realized that what we were looking at was the result of some geological force, which shattered the sea floor,” Brix said in the press release published on the University of Miami website on February 22, and further research revealed that this was the result of a subsurface landslide. The sea, likely caused waves 10 meters high that hit the Egyptian coast nearly 500 years ago.
Today, that piece of land is still swaying, and if it slipped, models suggest it could trigger a second tsunami twice the size of the previous one, although even when earthquakes occur in the area, they rarely generate tsunamis of this size, but Brix explains. "A slight tremor in the wrong place could collapse the entire wall, resulting in a tsunami much larger than what happened 500 years ago," he said.
“That area of Egypt, as well as Saudi Arabia, which is experiencing a very rapid urban transformation, has some risks that were not previously identified, but the risks must be assessed, to avoid a catastrophe in the future,” the Red Sea is a marine rift, which means that It expands as the adjacent tectonic plates slide gradually.
The Red Sea is a marine rift, which means that it is expanding as the two adjacent tectonic plates gradually slide (NOAA).
possible tsunami
This makes the area highly prone to earthquakes, but the discovery of an undersea landslide indicates the presence of other forces that lead to tsunamis that were previously ignored.
Cliff collapses along parts of the Red Sea coast can be particularly dangerous in straits or other narrow passages, where a wave can quickly make landfall without warning. It "severely threatens the coastline" of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and according to the models, the Egyptian resort is located directly in the path of the waves.
The research expedition that discovered this landslide of the sea floor was funded by a company working to develop the Saudi coast, and the results of the study were published in the journal "Geophysical Research Letters" on the 3rd of last February.
If the ground slips by 50 meters more, the first effects will be felt in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh (NOAA)
Giant waves
The risk assessment turned out to be a good idea, as despite sliding only 30 metres, a landslide 500 years ago caused powerful waves to come ashore in just a few minutes.
Therefore, models show that at some point in the future, if the ground slips by 50 meters more, the first effects will be felt by the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh, which is located a little to the southwest, and within a minute and a half, the height of the waves that will hit the coast can reach to 21 meters.
If the ground slips 100 meters, the waves that will hit Sharm El Sheikh can extend to a height of 35 meters, and a little farther north in Musa Bay, the waves can actually reach 45 meters, reaching the coast in less than 3 minutes.
A few minutes later, the Saudi coast on the other side of the strait will be affected, albeit with slightly smaller waves, and researchers believe that in a worst-case scenario, the waves could reach 15 meters in height.
Historical records did not detect the undersea landslide that caused the tsunami 500 years ago (NOAA)
A threat to new coastal communities
“What is remarkable in all simulations is how the bathymetry of the strait constrains and directs the tsunami, with broad and deep waters in the north allowing the wave to advance unimpeded as far as the Gulf of Aqaba. To the south, narrow and shallow straits limit the entry of waves into the Red Sea,” the researchers wrote.
Not surprisingly, historical records somehow did not detect the undersea landslide that caused the tsunami 500 years ago. Not only was the event not marked by an earthquake, but the coast - where Sharm El Sheikh is now located - was just a stop for fishermen. time, which means few people may have seen the waves.
Today, the reality is very different, which is why underwater studies of this kind are so important;
They can reveal vulnerabilities in coastal depths that can endanger communities, for example, the steep sea cliffs off Sharm El Sheikh, and if these walls also slip, it could lead to a wave of waves that could easily reach the Saudi coast .
Being able to predict when a tsunami will occur can save lives and money, and researchers say landslides under the Red Sea should be monitored like earthquakes in the future.