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Paul Moxness's avatar

You have the most appropriately named newsletter on Substack. Everything truly is Amazing! Thanks.

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Going South's avatar

Story 1: This thing strangely happened during a Danish Navy tsunami exercise, the same Danish Navy that had just evacuated their own Danish Navy station on Ella Island, just hours before that Danish Navy was hit by the tsunami, but luckily, the Danish Navy vessel was then alerted to the flooding of their station by a passenger on a cruise ship in the area, incidentally a former Danish Navy man, such that the Danish Navy vessel was able to inspect the flooded Danish Navy station and take the photos documenting the event.

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Mike Sowden's avatar

Oh wow! I had no idea. Thank you so much for passing this along - what an extraordinary thing.

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Going South's avatar

Vessel was supposed to be on Greenland's West Coast and take part in the big tsunami exercise there, but was commanded off to the East Coast because a cruise ship had got stuck in a fjord. Makes you think, were they really so lucky that they got the largest "tsunami exercise" of all time, exactly during a tsunami drill?

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Tracy Albinson's avatar

Back in the mid-90’s, my parent’s house was struck by lightning during a January snowstorm. They were even on the evening news!

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Zoe Zuniga's avatar

Amazing! And I got through all the juicy goodness in one of today. Usually I take so many side trips off into the links that it takes a week to eat the whole thing. But today I restrained myself just a little

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Miranda - Root Stories's avatar

I agree. Zoe. So many rabbit holes (or should that be deep sea canyons?) to head down after reading this.

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Elizabeth Gahbler's avatar

Fascinating, all of it! When I lived in California, I loved to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium; was fortunate enough to take my kids there when we were on vacation.

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Elizabeth Gahbler's avatar

(And as a musician, I find the idea of the earth ringing like a bell for nine days to be stupendous.)

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Daniel Appleton's avatar

I think that the Earth ringing happened after the Tunguska Event in 1908.

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Ian Simbotin's avatar

A typo in the early paragraphs…

Comparison of tsunami height with the Golden Gate Bridge should read something like:

“mega tsunami — the water was 200m high, nearly as tall as the [main towers of the] Golden Gate Bridge”

The bridge is more than a mile and a half long…

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Mike Sowden's avatar

Argh - thank you, Ian! Will correct that.

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Priscilla Stuckey's avatar

Fascinating, Mike! I had never heard of undersea rivers. And that bell ringing was something else. Very cool stuff, thanks!

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Simon Brooks's avatar

Mind blowing! I now want to hear a thundersnow storm.

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Ayur Sandanov's avatar

Re: the advice on being caught out in a thunderstorm: the linked article seems to have slightly different instructions. You wrote "kneel down" which I took as "sit down on your knees and heels on the ground", but it says "Try to touch as little of the ground with your body as possible", and instructs to SQUAT down, and tuck in your head.

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Mike Sowden's avatar

Ah! You know, you’re absolutely right (well, of course you know) and that’s an extremely good call. Thank you, I will go edit that now.

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JMH's avatar

Love this!!!

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Anto wants to know's avatar

I didn’t know I could learn this much from one single post (and its comments). Thank you!

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Karen Davis's avatar

I always love the tidbits you find! I had no idea about the Monterey canyon! Thundersnow I am familiar with, we get it here in the middle of the US. In fact, we had it this winter. https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/weather/what-is-thundersnow-the-weird-weather-phenomenon-rumbling-through-the-east-coast-and-midwest

It’s not the first time I remember it, but it’s not a regular occurrence either. Anyone that lives in Kansas City should certainly know, “when thunder roars go indoors”. That said, people are, well, people. When I was a golf pro we certainly knew. Any storm within several miles you blow the horn because lightning can strike a long ways from a storm.

I just always love reading your posts. And that bell ringing wave oscillation was totally fascinating!Thank you, Mike!

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Daniel Appleton's avatar

What about what happened in Siberia in 1908 ? Opinions are still divided as to exactly WHAT hit Tunguska & what sent so much dust in the air - if I'm recalling it right.

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Justin Difazzio's avatar

Thundersnow happens somewhat regularly around me in the midwestern United States. It's a fascinating thing that I didn't know about until I was an adult.

What I would give to have seen that nine-day tsunami tennis match. That had to be incredible, terrifying, and awe inspiring.

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The Mess Express's avatar

Last year I flew over the Grand Canyon (on a flight from Tennessee to Vegas!) and it's so easy to forget just how GRAND it is! Like just standing at the north rim doesn't do it justice omg

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Christopher Freestone's avatar

Endlessly fascinating as always, Mike. Thank you!

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Jane Duke's avatar

Another amazing one - and that advice from the Met Office might actually one day be life-saving. My instinct would have been to lie down so as to make myself as un-sticky-up as possible, but of course that increases your surface contact with the ground. Eep!

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