The island is very unstable and this is something which could happen fairly soon."La Palma is not only the steepest island in the world but has also been the most volcanically active of the Canary Isles in the past 500 years. There have been two eruptions on the island this century alone - the last one was in 1971.The volcanoes themselves do not present much danger. This has never been seen in historical times but scientists have now identified the island of La Palma as a potential hazard."There is a danger that the side of the volcano facing west may fall into the Atlantic," says Professor Bill McGuire of the Centre of Volcanic Research in Cheltenham, who was part of the recent expedition."It could literally happen during the next few weeks or months or years," he said "Equally, it could happen 100 years or more into the future. By monitoring the fault which threatens to create the tidal wave, they hope to predict any hazard long before it could happen. In the middle of the ocean, these waves of mass destruction - called tsunami - are almost invisible.

Only when they reach the shallow waters around coasts do they become huge breakers.The ruin caused by even a relatively small one can be apocalyptic. When the Krakatoa volcano blew itself to pieces in the last century, a tsunami six metres high killed 30,000 people.Tsunami can also be generated when a huge landslide falls into the sea. Its source is an unstable geological fault on the Canary Isles, more usually thought of as an idyllic holiday destination of thousands of European tourists than as the cause of disaster. To ensure such a scenario remains in the realms of Hollywood, a group of British scientists recently travelled to the Canaries. It was the signal that Australia were about to go nuclear.Derek HodgsonRaymond Russell Lindwall, cricketer: born Mascot, New South Wales 3 October 1921; married (one son, one daughter); died Brisbane 23 June 1996..

It reads like the plot from a disaster movie Florida is devastated by a tidal wave tens of metres high The destruction and loss of life is immeasurable. The wave which caused so much devastation crossed the Atlantic in just a few hours, unseen until it reached the American coast. His lifelong friend and comrade, "Nugget" Miller, a feted guest during the current Test match at Lord's, will grieve.Whenever Lindwall began his limbering-up exercise in the outfield the ground became electric as the crowd waited for Bradman to call him up to bowl. I once asked for his autograph, explaining that an associate editor of the Daily Express in London thought him "the best there ever was". Ray looked startled at such an assertion, then grinned: "Tell the bloke to come over. I'll buy him a beer."One noted cricket writer summed up his career: "Most of his cricket was played at the highest level, on the best wickets and against strong opposition. His skill, unaccompanied by histrionics, was something for the connoisseur to savour."He moved from NSW to Queensland in 1955, was appointed MBE and became a successful florist in Brisbane.