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Super TsunamisBy: Faith Hatchard

Introduction

Tsunamis are one of the natural disasters of the Earth. Although they aren’t as common as hurricanes or earthquakes, they are still very tragic and devastating.

Basic Info

Tsunamis are series of waves in the ocean that sends surges of water that sometimes reach heights of 100 feet (30.5 meters) onto land.

They are caused by large undersea earthquakes at tectonic plate boundaries when it rises or falls suddenly.

OR could be caused by underwater landslides or volcanic eruptions or large meteorites launched into the ocean.

More Info to Know

Tsunamis can cross the Pacific in less than a day and don’t lose energy because of how long their waves are.

The top of the waves move faster than the bottom.

Many witnesses claim that a tsunami sounds like a freight train.

Things to Know with Numbers!

80% of tsunamis happen within the “Ring of Fire” in the Pacific where volcanoes and earthquakes are common.

Tsunamis can travel at speeds up to 500 mph (805 kph) which is like the speed of a jet plane!

Not counting the tsunami in Japan in 2011, there were 26 tsunamis that killed at least 200 people or more that occurred in the last century.

Vocabulary Terms

TROUGH- a low point beneath the wave’s crest that reaches shore first, produces a vacuum effect that sucks coastal water seaward and exposes harbor and sea floors (the actual tsunami hits about 5 minutes later, so the recognition of the trough can save many lives).

WAVE TRAIN- series of waves that a typical tsunami comes in.

They’re here to help!

Early warnings help so that people can seek higher ground. This warning is most commonly from The Pacific Tsunami Warning System, a coalition of 26 nations headquartered in Hawaii which maintains a web of seismic equipment and water level to identify any tsunamis at sea.

Hawaii seems like tropical paradise...

But actually, Hawaii is the U.S. state at greatest risk for a tsunami. The biggest tsunami that occurred in Hawaii happen on April 1, 1946, where the coast of Hilo Island was hit with 30ft waves coming in at 500 mph. This tsunami resulted in the death of 170 people.

Indian Ocean Tsunami, 2004

This great tsunami was caused by an earthquake that is thought to have the energy of 23,000 atomic bombs! Within hours of the earthquake, killer waves radiating from the epicenter slammed into the coastline of 11 countries, damaging countries from east Africa to Thailand! By the end of the day, the tsunami had already killed 150,000 people. The final death toll was between 283,000-310,000.

IOT2004 Continued

This tsunami has many names other than 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. These include: South Asian Tsunami, Indonesian Tsunami, and Boxing Day Tsunami.

It effected countries such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, Malaysia, Somalia, Bangladesh, Thailand, etc.

Resources

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/tsunami-profile/

http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-tsunamis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_natural_disasters_by_death_toll

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake