Port Alberni Tsunami Danger EarthCache
Port Alberni Tsunami Danger
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*** This cache has been modified. The co-ords used to take you to a brass marker denoting the level of the 1964 tsunami. That marker, and the building it was on, is gone. Co-ords will now bring you to the same area, but you will have to imagine the tidal wave high water line as being 3 feet off the parking lot surface. if a new marker is installed, co-ords will be changed to bring you to it. ***
Port Alberni's due for a very large tsunami. If it comes while you're here, head for high ground! Tsunami's, simply put, are the waves that are created as a result of an earthquake underneath the ocean surface. Here is a more involved definition: "A tsunami (plural: tsunamis or tsunami; from Japanese: ??, lit. "harbor wave";[1] English pronunciation: /su?'n??mi?/ soo-NAH-mee or /tsu?'n??mi?/ tsoo-NAH-mee[2]), also called a tsunami wave train,[3] or less frequently a tidal wave, is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, usually an ocean, though it can occur in large lakes." The geography of the Alberni Inlet is ideal, in the dangerous sense, for a very large tsunami. Here is a description of the dangers, as posted on the Port Alberni Tsunami Warning System webpage. link:https://portalberni.ca/alberni-valley-emergency-program "The City of Port Alberni is one of the most tsunami susceptible developed areas in Canada. Port Alberni is located at the head of a very narrow 60 km long inlet open to Barclay Sound on the West Coast of Vancouver Island. The geography of the inlet can result in amplification of tsunami’s height to approximately three times the wave height experienced in Barclay Sound. Several scientific studies have been carried out regarding the propagation of tsunamis in the Pacific Basin. Port Alberni has in all cases been identified as a maximum wave amplitude site with wave height predictions ranging from 9 meters to 16 meters above tide level. A 10 meter tsunami would result in inundation of about 600 hectares or 35% of the area of Port Alberni including the entire industrial area, most of the northern central business district and a large residential area. Close proximity of log booms would likely increase the damage and loss of life caused by a tsunami due to impact of logs with homes and other buildings." One came through in 1964, causing about 10 million dollars in damage. To get a look at the damage it did, check out this link:http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsunami1964Canada.html Amazingly, Port Alberni does not have a large sign or info kiosk explaining the history and current danger of a Tsunami, but we used to have a memorial plaque which shows you how high the water rose in 1964. This memorial was a small brass sign mounted on the marina office's outside wall. It has now been removed because the building was torn down. Co-ords will bring you to where the plaque used to be, so as long as you are in the parking lot, you're close enough to do the cache. To make sure you've learned something about tsunamis, once you in the parking lot, answer the following questions, keeping in mind that the tidal wave high water mark would have been 3 feet off the ground you are standing on. 1. Using your GPSr, figure out how high you are standing above sea level. The number will vary a bit, because of signal strength, but you're at a marina, so it's going to be close to sea level. Now compare that to the highest maximum possible wave (already noted on this page) and tell me the difference. 2. Looking around, which direction would you have to go to get to higher ground (real ground, and not just a building)? Can you see now why Port Alberni faces a critical danger? Email me your answer when you log, and thank you for taking the time to learn a bit about tsunamis and Port Alberni! PS. Here's a link to a map that shows the inundation levels anticipated if Port Alberni experiences a tsunami. I'm trusting you won't use it to cheat on the questions! http://www.acrd.bc.ca/cms/wpattachments/wpID93atID1587.pdf
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