Volcano on Gibraltar

[Autanimous]

If in the early 1900's a volcano developed on the strait of Gibraltar, eventually sealing the Mediterranean by 1940 from that entrance...
What are the Effects?

[Astrodragon]

Originally Posted by Autanimous

If in the early 1900's a volcano developed on the strait of Gibraltar, eventually sealing the Mediterranean by 1940 from that entrance...
What are the Effects?

Hundreds of geologists suffer heart attacks at the impossibility of it....

[Autanimous]

Why so?
The Azores-Gibraltar Fault runs through there, and while it is a diffuse boundary, a hot spot developing below there is no more unrealistic than the one under Hawaii...

[Faralis]

And also the small detail that a Volcano so big to close a 14 Km strip of about 300 meters of water would be a nightmare to the climate ...

EDIT: Not the same but a bit related : http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclo..._Cathcart.html

[ComradeTovarich]

The British are going to have a hell of a time reinforcing the Mediterrenean Fleet and their army units stationed there. They'll have to go round the Cape Of Good Hope and up the Suez Canal. If the Second World War proceeds the way it did IOTL, all the Axis need to do to acheive naval supremacy in that area would be to launch a massive air raid or commando attack to shut down the Suez Canal.

Just out of curiosity, how the hell will a volcano at Gibraltar seal the Gibraltar entrance to the Med?

[Onkel Willie]

Just out of curiosity, how the hell will a volcano at Gibraltar seal the Gibraltar entrance to the Med?

With lava, ash, pumice and other debris. Lots of MAGMAAAAAA

[Larrikin]

Originally Posted by OKH_1946

The British are going to have a hell of a time reinforcing the Mediterrenean Fleet and their army units stationed there. They'll have to go round the Cape Of Good Hope and up the Suez Canal. If the Second World War proceeds the way it did IOTL, all the Axis need to do to acheive naval supremacy in that area would be to launch a massive air raid or commando attack to shut down the Suez Canal.

Just out of curiosity, how the hell will a volcano at Gibraltar seal the Gibraltar entrance to the Med?

Look up Surtsee, it's an island off the coast of Iceland that wasn't there when I was born 50 years ago.

[mailinutile2]

Sice the rate of evaporation in the Med is higher than the flow of water from the rivers, closing the strait means that the Med begin slowly shrinking.
Countries with larger coastline (e.g. italy) are about to expand their territory.
Climate is becoming harsher (hotter summer, colder winters).

[Faralis]

Originally Posted by mailinutile2

Sice the rate of evaporation in the Med is higher than the flow of water from the rivers, closing the strait means that the Med begin slowly shrinking.
Countries with larger coastline (e.g. italy) are about to expand their territory.
Climate is becoming harsher (hotter summer, colder winters).

Well, actually what would happen is:

Say hello to the "Gibraltar´s Canal" ... and thats all.

Well maybe the Brits impose military presence in Morocco to the Spanish, not sure but probably ...

[Larrikin]

Originally Posted by Faralis

Well, actually what would happen is:

Say hello to the "Gibraltar´s Canal" ... and thats all.

Well maybe the Brits impose military presence in Morocco to the Spanish, not sure but probably ...

Ah, sorry, you don't dig a canal through a still active volcano.

[Blair152]

Originally Posted by Autanimous

If in the early 1900's a volcano developed on the strait of Gibraltar, eventually sealing the Mediterranean by 1940 from that entrance...
What are the Effects?

Short answer: Anything's possible.

[Astrodragon]

Originally Posted by Blair152

Short answer: Anything's possible.

In the ASB forum. Not here.
That's why we HAVE an ASB forum.....

[Autanimous]

This doesn't seem that ASB though.

It's a very realistic possibility that the magma under the earth could have developed hot spots nearly anywhere. It's no more ASB than a hurricane being stronger or hitting a different spot, it just has a much larger effect.

[Rakhasa]

Originally Posted by Autanimous

This doesn't seem that ASB though.

It's a very realistic possibility that the magma under the earth could have developed hot spots nearly anywhere. It's no more ASB than a hurricane being stronger or hitting a different spot, it just has a much larger effect.

No, it isn't. Gibraltar is 14 Km wide -at it's shortest point and 300 m deep . A volcano would need generations of constant magma evacuation to fill that hole

[The Doctor]

My 2 cents. There are stranger things out there than can be dreamed up in your philosophy. Thats the right quote yes? Want to say it correctly.

[CalBear]

Originally Posted by Blair152

Short answer: Anything's possible.

Short response: No it isn't.

[CalBear]

Originally Posted by Autanimous

If in the early 1900's a volcano developed on the strait of Gibraltar, eventually sealing the Mediterranean by 1940 from that entrance...
What are the Effects?

At least 1/3 of the Planet's population dies, maybe as much as 3/4.

This is Tambor, but on a continuing basis for decades. This could easily bring about a new Ice Age due to the lack of sunlight getting to the surface. Kiss off Canada, Northern France, Germany, Japan from Honshu north, Korea, Manchuria, New Zealand, Russia, Scandinavia, the UK, and the northern 1/3 of the United States.

Expect Sea Level to drop by between 5 & 10 feet by 1940 due to glacial build-up.

At least there won't be any World Wars.


BTW: Faults do not always equal volcanoes.

[Larrikin]

Originally Posted by CalBear

At least 1/3 of the Planet's population dies, maybe as much as 3/4.

This is Tambor, but on a continuing basis for decades. This could easily bring about a new Ice Age due to the lack of sunlight getting to the surface. Kiss off Canada, Northern France, Germany, Japan from Honshu north, Korea, Manchuria, New Zealand, Russia, Scandinavia, the UK, and the northern 1/3 of the United States.

Expect Sea Level to drop by between 5 & 10 feet by 1940 due to glacial build-up.

At least there won't be any World Wars.


BTW: Faults do not always equal volcanoes.

As I said earlier, the example would be Surtsee. Those massive effects are from already established volcanoes going bang. Getting a Surtsee style volcano in the Straits would block them over a period of time and wouldn't necessarily put huge amounts of gunk into the atmosphere.

The one currently playing around in Iceland is creating the problems that it is because of the ice and snow coverage on the surface, take that away and you don't get the ash cloud.

[StevoJH]

Originally Posted by Larrikin

As I said earlier, the example would be Surtsee. Those massive effects are from already established volcanoes going bang. Getting a Surtsee style volcano in the Straits would block them over a period of time and wouldn't necessarily put huge amounts of gunk into the atmosphere.

The one currently playing around in Iceland is creating the problems that it is because of the ice and snow coverage on the surface, take that away and you don't get the ash cloud.

Last time I checked Surtsee wasnt 13nm wide.

[CalBear]

Originally Posted by Larrikin

As I said earlier, the example would be Surtsee. Those massive effects are from already established volcanoes going bang. Getting a Surtsee style volcano in the Straits would block them over a period of time and wouldn't necessarily put huge amounts of gunk into the atmosphere.

The one currently playing around in Iceland is creating the problems that it is because of the ice and snow coverage on the surface, take that away and you don't get the ash cloud.

And Surtesy, at it's absolute maximum cover around one square mile. The Strait is 13km (7+ MILES wide) Suttesy is also in a geologically active region, something that the Straits hasn't been in a half billion years or so.

Of course you get ash. Look at the eruptions of Mt. Saint Helen's, Mt. Pinatubo, Mt. Vesuvius, Krakatoa, or the historic record for Tambor, Tombo, or any of the mega-volvanoes of lore. For that matter look at the Surtsey site. About the only place you don't get serious ash is in the very rare cases such as Kilauea, which is a rather unique case, one that would have resulted in a SERIES of volcanoes and almost unquestionably no Strait to begin with.

This is a total ASB idea and needs to be treated as such.