La Palma, currently the No. 1 show on Netflix, is not for the anxious viewer. The four-episode disaster series follows a group of geological researchers and a vacationing family of four as an imminent volcanic eruption threatens to create global catastrophe (fun!). Because the series is set on a real island (more on that below), you may be wondering whether the show is based on a true story.
Keep reading to find out.
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No, but it's inspired by the real geologic force known as Cumbre Vieja, an active volcanic ridge located along the southern part of the island of La Palma, which is one of the Canary Islands. Cumbre Vieja's most recent eruption took place from Sept. 19 to Dec. 25, 2021, causing widespread damage and prompting the evacuation of thousands of people from the affected areas. The eruption involved both lava flows and ashfall, which destroyed homes, farmland and infrastructure.
The big fear related to Cumbre Vieja—and the fear that La Palma on Netflix taps into—is the potential for a volcanic flank collapse, where a large portion of the western side of the volcanic island slides into the ocean, triggering a massive and catastrophic tsunami.
Related: Best Disaster Movies
Yes. La Palma is part of the westernmost group of the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. It's located in the Atlantic Ocean, off the northwestern coast of Africa.
Where was La Palma on Netflix filmed?
Created by Martin Sundland (The Quake), Lars Gudmestad (Headhunters) and Harald Rosenløw Eeg (The Wave), the Norwegian drama was filmed largely on location in La Palma.
Could Cumbre Vieja really cause a tsunami?
The hypothesis, derived from a 2001 study published in Geophysical Research Letters, is that if a significant part of the volcanic island's western flank were to collapse into the ocean, it could displace a massive amount of water and generate a tsunami with waves up to 25 meters (about 80 feet). That's powerful enough to travel across the Atlantic, potentially affecting coastlines as far away as the eastern United States.
But this theory is far from settled science; on the contrary, subsequent studies have debunked it. George Pararas-Carayannis, editor of the journal Science of Tsunami Hazards, wrote in 2002 (emphasis added):
"Massive flank failures of island stratovolcanoes are extremely rare phenomena and none have occurred within recorded history. Recent numerical modeling studies, forecasting mega tsunami generation from postulated, massive slope failures of Cumbre Vieja in La Palma, Canary Islands, and Kilauea, in Hawaii, have been based on incorrect assumptions of volcanic island slope instability, source dimensions, speed of failure and tsunami coupling mechanisms. Incorrect input parameters and treatment of wave energy propagation and dispersion, have led to overestimates of tsunami far field effects. Inappropriate media attention and publicity to such probabilistic results have created unnecessary anxiety that mega tsunamis may be imminent and may devastate densely populated coastlines at locations distant from the source—in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans."
Okay, phew! It sounds like Mr. Pararas-Carayannis did not consult on La Palma. The (fictional) series is now streaming on Netflix.
Related: The 100 Best TV Shows on Netflix Right Now
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