Is Netflix's “La Palma” Based on a True Story? All About the Real-Life Island’s Active Volcano — and the Last Time It Erupted

The possibility of a mega-tsunami caused by a volcanic eruption sounds far-fetched, but the premise of Netflix’s newest four-part disaster series isn’t as implausible as it seems.

La Palma, which rose to the streamer’s Top 10 list after its Dec. 12 premiere, follows a family on their annual Christmas vacation to the picturesque, and very real, La Palma island.

While they’re hanging out poolside, two geological researchers find evidence that an eruption from the island’s volcano is not only imminent but potentially catastrophic enough to trigger a mega-tsunami that could strike multiple continents.

While La Palma isn’t based on a true story, the stunning volcanic island is a real place — with a real disaster in its recent history. And, the terrifying tsunami theory put forward in the Netflix series has actually been explored by scientists.

Here’s everything to know about the real-life La Palma island and its still-active volcano.

La Palma is a real island

The show’s breathtaking location is a real place viewers can visit. La Palma is one of the Canary Islands, a group of several Spanish islands situated off the coast of northwest Africa in the Atlantic Ocean.

According to the island’s tourism website, La Palma is also nicknamed the “Isla Bonita,” which translates from Spanish into “beautiful island.” In addition to its volcanic landscape, La Palma is home to crystal-clear waters, a dense pine forest and tall mountain peaks known for their star-gazing potential.

The show’s "mega-tsunami" theory is real

In La Palma, geology researchers Marie (Thea Sofie Loch Næss) and Haukur (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson) find a crack in a volcano that proves an eruption is a few hours away — and that it could collapse the volcano itself into the ocean, causing a mega-tsunami large enough to hit multiple continents.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the theory that collapsing volcanoes could generate massive ocean-wide waves known as “mega-tsunamis” isn’t new. In 2001, an academic paper was published that suggested the possibility of the La Palma volcano collapsing and causing tsunami waves up to 80 feet high along the east coasts of North and South America.

Thankfully, the USGS has cast doubt on this hypothesis. Ocean floor mapping and new tsunami modeling simulations show that volcano collapses happen in increments rather than giant, mega-wave-making chunks. So, if La Palma’s volcano did collapse into the ocean, the USGS has now said that the waves would more likely be between 3 and 7 feet high by the time they hit the U.S.

The volcano on La Palma erupted recently

On Sept. 19, 2021, La Palma’s Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted. It was the first major volcanic eruption on the island in 50 years, per The New York Times.

Scientists started monitoring the island more closely in 2017 when seismic activity (vibrations caused by an earthquake) intensified. A month before the eruption, thousands of small quakes were recorded, and scientists issued warnings to the 80,000 people who call La Palma home.

La Palma's 2021 volcano eruption lasted 85 days

La Palma's 2021 eruption lasted 85 days and 8 hours — making it the longest eruption ever recorded in the island’s history, per NPR.

There were no fatalities, but 7,000 people were evacuated, and over 3,000 properties were destroyed, along with hundreds of acres of banana plantation farmland. The BBC reported many of the residents who remained on the island were forced to stay inside their homes due to toxic gas emitted from the molten rock that leaked into the ocean.

The last tremors from the eruption were felt on Dec. 13, 2021. Canary Islands regional security chief Julio Perez officially declared that the eruption was over on Christmas Day and Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said the news was the “best Christmas gift."

The show was filmed on the island and one more scenic location

The Norwegian series was mostly filmed on the real-life La Palma island but some scenes were shot on the nearby Canary Island of Tenerife. Specific filming locations include the black sand beach Playa de la Arena and the luxury resort Isla Bonita.

The real La Palma Airport, which was shut down during the 2021 eruption due to severe ash accumulation, was also used in some scenes.

La Palma is still considered volcanically active

Many scientists consider Cumbre Vieja to be the most active volcanic ridge in the Canary Islands.

In addition to 2021, the volcano also erupted in 1949 and 1971.

Read the original article on People