Paper: "Undersea MUDSLIDE" danger if BP implodes oil gusher; TSUNAMI risk highest near river deltas with loose sediment

Hate posting something with REUTERS but they should get some credit for mentioning the undersea mudslide.

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"The Gulf of Mexico is rarely affected by earthquakes. Any slight movement is likely to displace loose sediments that have not moved in a very long of time."


September 11, 2006

The strongest earthquake to hit the Gulf of Mexico in 33 years shook the southern United States Sunday, prompting thousands of calls to authorities.

The magnitude 6.0 temblor, centered about 330 miles (530 kilometers) southeast of New Orleans, Louisiana, occurred at 8:56 a.m. local time. It was felt in parts of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Damage, if any, was too light to be reported. The earthquake was also too weak to cause a tsunami.

And Sunday's quake should have little to no effect on development of recently discovered oil reserves deep beneath the Gulf, says Randy Cox, an associate professor of earth science at the University of Memphis in Tennessee.

Richard A. Lovett
for National Geographic News

Last Edited by ByndPhkd on 07/12/2010 10:08 AM

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