When a volcano collapse triggered a mega-tsunami 73,000 years ago

Scientists have reportedly discovered that a volcano that collapsed 73,000 years ago at Cape Verde Islands off the coast of West Africa, had created a tsunami that was more than 800ft high, according to a study published in Science Advances.

This discovery was made by scientists led by Dr Ricardo Ramalho (Bristol’s School of Earth Sciences). The Fogo volcano, one of the world's largest and most active island volcanoes, towers 2,829 meters (9,300 feet) above sea level today and an eruption last year was stated to be one of the strongest on the islands.

Flank collapses can happen extremely fast and catastrophically and therefore, are capable of triggering giant tsunamis, said lead author Ricardo Ramalho. He added that they probably don't happen very often, but researchers need to take this into account when they think about the hazard potential of these kinds of volcanic features.

Ramalho cautions that the study should not be taken as a red flag that another big collapse is imminent here or elsewhere. "It doesn't mean every collapse happens catastrophically," he said. "But it's maybe not as rare as we thought."

The last major tsunami occurred on March 11, 2011, when an earthquake of magnitude 9 shook Japan. The country is still recovering from this tsunami. 230,000 people in Japan lost their homes and the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant had a meltdown. Damages in Japan were estimated at US$300 billion.

Watch how the 2011 tsunami in Japan caused destruction:

(With agency inputs)