Tsunami

Tsunami Latest News

A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula recently, triggering tsunami warnings across the northern Pacific, including Alaska, Hawaii, and down to New Zealand.

About Tsunami

• A tsunami is a series of waves generated by a large and sudden displacement of the ocean. 
• Tsunamis can have devastating and wide-ranging effects, especially in coastal regions.
• The word tsunami is composed of the Japanese words “tsu” (which means harbor) and “nami” (which means “wave”). 
• Large earthquakes below or near the ocean floor are the most common cause (about 80% of all known tsunamis are triggered by earthquakes), but landslides, volcanic activity, certain types of weather, and meteorites can also cause tsunamis. 
  • Not all earthquakes cause tsunamis; they must be strong and shallow (at least 6.5 magnitude and less than 70 km from the Earth’s surface), and move the seafloor vertically.
• Tsunamis radiate outward in all directions from their source and can move across entire ocean basins, around islands,  and into bays, sounds, and up rivers. 
• Out in the depths of the ocean, tsunami waves do not dramatically increase in height. 
• But as the waves travel inland, they build up to higher and higher heights as the depth of the ocean decreases.
• The speed of tsunami waves depends on ocean depth rather than the distance from the source of the wave. 
• Tsunami waves may travel as fast as jet planes over deep waters, only slowing down when reaching shallow waters. 
  • Tsunamis can have heights of up to 30 m (98 ft) and reach speeds of 950 km per hour.
• It is hard to see that a tsunami is approaching. The most obvious sign is when coastal water retreats just before the waves reach the shore. This is actually the trough of the wave following behind.

Source: TOI

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