Tsunami and Tidal Waves By Matt Sapp & Lauren Gareau

Wading in Water  Tsunami, commonly known as Tidal Waves come from the Japanese word Tsu for (harbor) Nami for (Wave)  All oceans can have tsunami’s but 80% of Tsunami’s originate in the Pacific Ocean due to large amounts of geological activity  From Japan to the West Coast of South America, tsunami’s strike with devastating consequences

All Washed Up  A tsunami is a series of waves in a body of water that vertically displaces the water column  Oceanographers often refer to tsunami’s as seismic sea waves as a result of a rise or fall of the earths crust  The displacement can be caused by earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and meteorites  All but meteorites occur under the sea  Tsunami’s are most likely to occur in April

Turning the Tide  Tsunami’s can go undetected until it reaches shallow waters  Some vary from 30ft to 100ft  Tsunami’s move a the speeds approaching jet aircraft  Tsunami’s are able to be detected but the size and destructive force of them can not be predicted  The ability to detect them gives the population a chance to get cover

A Wave is a Wave?  The difference between a tsunami and wave is that waves you see at the beach are generated by wind  Waves depend on the strength of the wind and the wavelengths (distance between crest/trough) is from 5ft to 1000ft  Waves moves at about 5 to 60 mph

A Wave is A Wave Cont  Tsunami’s result from physical mechanisms  The magnitude of a tsunami is by the mechanism  The difference between wavelengths can range from miles apart  Depending on depth tsunami’s can travel up to 500 mph

That’s No Tsunami  Common misconceptions come regarding tsunami’s appearance but it all depends on the topography of the ocean floor  The increase in height occurs as the tsunami gets closer to land  Most think tsunami’s are large steep waves this is not always the case  Most tsunami’s appear as an advancing tide  The result is the rapid flooding of the low-lying coastal areas

That’s a big Momma  The largest tsunami occurred in Lituya Bay on the southern coast of Alaska  On July 9, 1958 a earthquake caused a glacier landslide at the head of the bay  It triggered a wave that was 1720ft/524m high  This is the equivalent of over 5 football fields  This is the case of a tsunami where no people were present but this possible  Up to 36,000 people have died in a tsunami and the following flooding that occurs (Krakatoa, Indonesia 1883)

Danger Watch Yourself  A tsunami can reach the shore of any country regardless of where it starts in about a day and if local, it can reach in minutes  A tsunami is more than just a single wave like an earthquakes aftershocks, tsunamis are a wave train and many people have lost their lives returning home thinking it was safe

Crazy Pics

Questions  1. What is a Tsunami?  2. What is the ranging height for Tsunamis?  3. What is the difference between a Tsunami and a wave?  4. Where and when did the largest Tsunami occur?  5. How long does it take for a Tsunami to occur?