Volcano on Gibraltar

Larrikin

Banned
Or they could just go around the volcano. That would make the canal longer and more expensive to build and maintain, but it bypasses the issues of working too close to an active volcano.

Go look at the rocks either side of the Straits, it is granite both sides, and quite mountainous. Even if they started to build the canal as soon as they realised what is happening they aren't going to have it finished by 1940, especially if WWI intervenes.
 
Go look at the rocks either side of the Straits, it is granite both sides, and quite mountainous. Even if they started to build the canal as soon as they realised what is happening they aren't going to have it finished by 1940, especially if WWI intervenes.
It would definitely be a long, expensive, and generally unpleasant process. However, the canal builders would probably be able to speed the process up by linking into/widening existing rivers rather than cut straight through solid rock the entire way.
 
Since 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).
Except you have a opening at the East end [Suez] As the Water starts dropping the Flow thru the Suez will increase [Not sure what the bottom of the Suez is made of] Eroding a larger opening.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Gibraltar

Strait_of_gibraltar.jpg
 

Larrikin

Banned
It would definitely be a long, expensive, and generally unpleasant process. However, the canal builders would probably be able to speed the process up by linking into/widening existing rivers rather than cut straight through solid rock the entire way.

Which rivers? The Spanish are not going to be helpful, as the volcano gets rid of the Brits on the Rock, and there aren't any in that area of NA.
 
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.
 
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
 
My 2 cents. There are stranger things out there than can be dreamed up in your philosophy. Thats the right quote yes?:confused: Want to say it correctly. :eek:
 
Which rivers? The Spanish are not going to be helpful, as the volcano gets rid of the Brits on the Rock, and there aren't any in that area of NA.
Why wouldn't the Spanish be eager to help build a canal that would presumably make them a substantial amount of money once it is done?

Also, another issue occurs to me; Spain and Morocco are going to have a border to figure out. That could be interesting.
 

CalBear

Moderator
Donor
Monthly Donor
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.
 
If the Strait of Gibraltar were closed, digging a channel to the ocean would solve nothing. The level of the Mediterranean would drop quite fast because of the evaporation. Wikipedia says it may empty almost entirely in 1000 years. Considering a depth of 2000-3000 meters, that would mean about 30-50 cm (about 12-20 in) a year level drop speed. In 30 years or so any channel would become dry, including the Suez.
 
If the Strait of Gibraltar were closed, digging a channel to the ocean would solve nothing. The level of the Mediterranean would drop quite fast because of the evaporation. Wikipedia says it may empty almost entirely in 1000 years. Considering a depth of 2000-3000 meters, that would mean about 30-50 cm (about 12-20 in) a year level drop speed. In 30 years or so any channel would become dry, including the Suez.

Sigh, dont believe all that you read in the Wiki, its great for some info but not always the most reliable source ( talk about understatement )

First Its connected by the Suez Canal ( that runs always at the same level ), so even if they don´t build the Channel it will not evaporate cos it will enter water from the Red sea ( it will be a small current into the Mediterranean, like a river, and thats all ).

But of course all of that is a bit irrelevant because like I said in my first post and Calbear has write repeatedly it will be an (almost surely) an extinction event so yeah, who cares ...
 
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