Tsunami Kim Britsch, Olivia Storey, and Alex Martin

What is a tsunami? A tsunami is a series of water waves that is caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water. A tsunami may travel hundreds of kilometers across the deep ocean, reaching speeds of about 450 to 500 mph. Upon entering shallow coastal waters, the wave, which may have been only about a foot or two high out at sea, suddenly begins growing rapidly. By the time it reaches the shore, it may become a towering wall of water 15m (50 ft) high or more, capable of destroying entire coastal settlements.

Causes A tsunami can be generated by ANY disturbance that displaces a large water mass from its equilibrium position. Most often, it is an earthquake that triggers a tsunami, but other possible contributors are: undersea landslides, volcanic eruptions, explosions, and rarely, impacts of cosmic bodies (such as a meteorites in the ocean),

Where tsunamis occur About 80 percent of all tsunamis occur within the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire,” a geologically active area where tectonic shifts make volcanoes and earthquakes common.

Warning Sign Warning Sign A tsunami’s trough, the low point beneath the wave’s crest, often reaches shore first. When it does, it produces a vacuum effect that sucks coastal water seaward and exposes harbor and sea floors. This retreating of sea water is an important warning sign of a tsunami, because the wave’s crest and its enormous volume of water typically hit shore five minutes or so later. Recognizing this phenomenon can save lives.

References Tsunamis and earthquakes. (2010, January 05). Retrieved from Natural disasters. (1996, November). Retrieved from Tsunamis: killer waves. (2005). Retrieved from ronment/natural-disasters/tsunami-profile.html

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