"Colossal underwater avalanche discovered in the Atlantic that swept away 60,000 years ago."

British researchers have unveiled a major geological event that occurred approximately 60,000 years ago, when a colossal underwater avalanche swept across the seabed of the Atlantic north of the Canary Islands. This phenomenon, which extends over 2,000 kilometers, has been the subject of an exhaustive study conducted by a team from the University of Liverpool, whose work has recently been published in the journal Science Advances. Through their research, the scientists have managed to reconstruct the dynamics of an event that had largely remained in the shadows of geological history until now. The underwater avalanche in question began as a small landslide, an event that originally had a volume of just 1.5 cubic kilometers. However, as it progressed through the Agadir Canyon, its size multiplied more than 100 times, a remarkable expansion that allowed it to carry large amounts of rocks, gravel, sand, and mud. This unchecked growth led to a geological infrastructure that eroded 400 kilometers of the canyon and several hundred meters along its flanks, generating a visible impact over a total area of approximately 4,500 square kilometers. Chris Stevenson, a sedimentologist and co-director of the research team, emphasized the magnitude of this event: "It's the first time we can map an underwater avalanche of such scale and calculate its growth factor." The research was based on the analysis of over 300 samples collected over four decades, as well as seismic and bathymetric data, which allowed scientists to trace the path of this devastating phenomenon. The study revealed that the avalanche reached heights of up to 200 meters while moving at a speed of approximately 15 meters per second. To put its size into perspective, Stevenson noted that it is an avalanche the size of a skyscraper that could span distances equivalent to the route between Liverpool and London, carving a trench 30 meters deep and 15 kilometers wide along its path. The team's findings not only provide insights into the nature of underwater avalanches but also raise crucial questions about their destructive potential. Christoph Bottner, a researcher on the team, indicated that the observed growth factor, at least 100, is significantly higher than that of snow avalanches or debris flows, which typically do not exceed a growth of 4 to 8 times. Sebastian Krastel, head of Marine Geophysics at the University of Kiel, highlighted that the discovery challenges previous notions about how underwater avalanches are generated: "We previously thought that large events only occurred from major landslide collapses. Now we know they can start as small slides and yet become giant and devastating phenomena." These discoveries are particularly relevant in a context where seabed infrastructures, such as internet cables, are crucial for global connectivity. The research underscores the significant geological risk that underwater avalanches pose, not only because of their destructive capacity but also due to the potential impact they can have on networks essential for modern societies. The study not only opens new avenues of research on underwater avalanches but also invites reflection on how humanity interacts with its environment. With climate change and human activity continuously altering the geological landscape, understanding these phenomena becomes more important than ever. This important work by British scientists serves as a reminder that, although underwater avalanches are invisible to the human eye and difficult to track, they represent a natural process that can have devastating consequences. As we move toward an era where we increasingly rely on technology, it is vital to maintain a proactive approach to research and the management of the geological risks that surround us.