muff528 wrote:
I notice, by "exploring" the island through Google Maps, that there is a lot
of vegetation
that is growing in straight lines, particularly on the eastern leg of the
atoll. I wonder if
this is an agricultural endeavor, ie groves or orchards of some sort. I
suppose they could
have also been planted to replace harvested timber or for wind breaks. Or
maybe it could
be some species that naturally grows in straight rows and columns. :-)
The east side of the island is the location of the old plantation which
even had a small railroad. (See attached pic of a Brit security guy with
their mascot). I have a number of aerial photos stashed showing good
shots of the plantation house and other buildings most of which are or
have been restored with "volunteer" labor.
Also - I don't recall Diego Garcia being mentioned in the news during the
2004 tsunami
so I googled "diego garcia tsunami" and was interested to find that the
island largely
escaped damage primarily because of the topography of the surrounding ocean
floor.
Atolls are not prone to tsunamis due to the depth of the surrounding
ocean and the lack of a gradually rising off shore shelf. Diego
probably got an eight inch wave. I remember on Kwajalein back in the
early 1970's when we got all of a 12 inch wave.
Diego however is in an active seismic activity area and had a
significant earthquake in the mid 1980's and all buildings are
constructed to be seismic resistant.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...-imagery-3.htm
A lot of interesting info concerning the tsunami and DG....including
"conspiracy theories", etc.
There is a lot of satellite imagery of the base taken at different times. I
noticed a lack of
fighter aircraft in all images I've seen. I would have thought there would
be a contingent of
fighters for defense of the base. Maybe it's considered unnecessary given
the remote location.
There is a large pre positioned fleet that resides at Diego and they
probably put out to sea as a precaution. Google COMPSRON 2.
JT