Tsunamis
What is a tsunami? Japanese words tsu (harbor) and nami (waves) It is a wave or series of waves in the ocean that can be hundreds of miles long and have been known to reach heights of up to 45 ft Waves can travel at speeds close to 300 mph They can cause massive damage and kill many along coastal lands.
How does it happen? Triggered by underwater earthquakes which forces the water upward The wave moves outward in all directions As a wave reaches shallow water, it slows down and gets taller
Prior to this earthquake the Indian Plate was moving beneath the Burma Plate, meeting resistance and compression forces accumulated. When the fault between these two plates suddenly slipped a rupture approximately 1,200 kilometers long developed in the ocean floor with a vertical displacement of about 15 meters. The boundary between the plates and the line of failure are shown on the map below as the blue saw-tooth line.
Contour lines-arrival time, colors- wave height
Can I surf a Tsunami Wave? Typical Tsunami Wave vs. Typical Wind-generated Wave Wave Feature Wind- generated Wave Tsunami Wave Wave Speed 5-60 mph (8-100 kph) mph (800-1,000 kph) Wave Period (time required for two waves to pass a single point in space) 5 to 20 seconds apart 10 minutes to 2 hours apart Wave Length (horizontal distance between two waves) feet apart ( meters apart) miles apart ( km apart)
No- there is no face to the wave Surfing waveTsunami wave
Dec Tsunami 9.2 Earthquake in Indian Ocean caused it Killed 230,000 people Made clear that tsunami warning systems are needed globally
2011 Tsunami in Japan
Chile
Saving lives Currently there is a warning system in the Pacific Ocean. (none in the Indian or Atlantic Oceans) Buoys alert satellites, which relay information to scientists who issue warnings to countries. Evacuation alarms will sound.
Warning system
If you see the water receding from the shoreline, move to higher ground immediately!
Tsunami wave
Review: Tilly Smith warns family:
Could it happen here? 9e8CRE3lRdA
Family survives 2004 tsunami Tsunami ground zero 2004 Japan The Impossible Trailer
Earthquake and Tsunami Review
What type of plate boundary produces earthquakes? Convergent, Divergent, and Transform
Where do we see the most earthquakes occur? Near plate boundaries
What should you do to stay safe during an earthquake? Drop, cover, and hold on After the quake, evacuate the building and move to an open area.
What causes a tsunami? Underwater earthquakes, usually at convergent plate boundaries.
How do you stay safe during a tsunami? If an earthquake has occurred and you are near water, move quickly to higher ground or far inland.