Tsunami

, lit. "harbor wave";[1] English pronunciation: /su n mi/ soo-NAH-mee or /tsu n mi/ tsoo- NAH-mee[2]) is a A tsunami (plural: tsunamis or tsunami; from Japanese: series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or alarge lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions (including detonations of underwater nuclear devices), landslides,glacier calvings, meteorite impacts and other disturbances above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami.[3] Tsunami waves do not resemble normal sea waves, because their wavelength is far longer. Rather than appearing as a breaking wave, a tsunami may instead initially resemble a rapidly rising tide, and for this reason they are often referred to as tidal waves. Tsunamis generally consist of a series of waves with periods ranging from minutes to hours, arriving in a socalled "wave train".[4] Wave heights of tens of metres can be generated by large events. Although the impact of tsunamis is limited to coastal areas, their destructive power can be enormous and they can affect entire ocean basins; the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was among the deadliest natural disasters in human history with over 230,000 people killed in 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean. The Greek historian Thucydides suggested in 426 B.C. that tsunamis were related to submarine earthquakes,[5][6] but the understanding of a tsunami's nature remained slim until the 20th century and much remains unknown. Major areas of current research include trying to determine why some large earthquakes do not generate tsunamis while other smaller ones do; trying to accurately forecast the passage of tsunamis across the oceans; and also to forecast how tsunami waves would interact with specific shorelines. History As early as 426 B.C. the Greek historian Thucydides inquired in his book History of the Peloponnesian War about the causes of tsunami, and was the first to argue that ocean earthquakes must be the cause.[5][6] The cause, in my opinion, of this phenomenon must be sought in the earthquake. At the point where its shock has been the most violent the sea is driven back, and suddenly recoiling with redoubled force, causes the inundation. Without an earthquake I do not see how such an accident could happen.[12] The Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus (Res Gestae 26.10.15-19) described the typical sequence of a tsunami, including an incipient earthquake, the sudden retreat of the sea and a following gigantic wave, after the 365 A.D. tsunami devastated Alexandria.[13][14] While Japan may have the longest recorded history of tsunamis, the sheer destruction caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami event mark it as the most devastating of its kind in modern times, killing around 230,000 people. The Sumatran region is not unused to tsunamis either, with earthquakes of varying magnitudes regularly occurring off the coast of the island.[15] Generation mechanisms The principal generation mechanism (or cause) of a tsunami is the displacement of a substantial volume of water or perturbation of the sea.[16] This displacement of water is usually attributed to either earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions,glacier calvings or more rarely by meteorites and nuclear tests.[17][18] The waves formed in this way are then sustained by gravity. Tides do not play any part in the generation of tsunamis. Tsunami Facts Tsunami facts regarding the origin, approach, warning systems, moderation and records of tsunami waves. Tsunami is a Japanese word. "Tsu" translates to harbor, and "nami" to wave. When a body of water is rapidly displaced, a series of waves are created. These series of waves are called a "tsunami". These waves are usually 10 meters high. The rapid displacement of the body of water takes place due to the following reasons: volcanic eruptions earthquakes underwater explosions large meteorite impacts mass movements above or under water nuclear weapons testing in seas Beginning of a tsunami wave Sometimes plate boundaries abruptly deform and displace the overlying water vertically. Subduction earthquakes are efficient in generating a tsunami. In the 1940s, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale gave rise to a tsunami. Explosive volcanic action, landslides and impact events can also start a tsunami. The water wave may reach 50 to 150 meters and cover a height of 500 meters on local mountains. A "megatsunami" is caused by large landslides. The displaced water mass moves under the effect of gravity. This water radiates across the ocean similar to ripples in a pond. Signs that a tsunami is approaching if an earthquake takes place near a body of water, it means that a tsunami will follow in a short time if the water along the shoreline recedes dramatically and exposes usually submerged areas it should be inferred that this is the trough of the tsunami and a crest will follow after a few seconds or minutes some large animals like elephants hear the noise of the tsunami and move in the opposite direction towards inland computer models can also foresee tsunami arrival and impact depending upon knowledge of the event that caused it and the shape of the oceanbed there is a loud roar similar to a train or aircraft Tsunami warning system Such systems comprise two parts: a network of sensors to detect tsunamis a communications infrastructure to provide alarms for evacuation of coastal areas There exist international and regional tsunami warning systems. The underlying principle used in both is that tsunamis move at a speed of 0.14 to 0.28 km/sec while seismic waves of 4 km/sec. Thus, when an earthquake is confirmed, there is sufficient time to predict a tsunami. Reducing the effect of a tsunami Japan builds tsunami walls of 4.5 meters height in populated coastal areas floodgates and channels are built to redirect the water from the tsunami a tree cover is made on the shore These measures slow down and moderates a tsunami. However, they cannot totally prevent the destruction and loss of life. Records related to tsunami The maximum death toll due to tsunami has been 283,000 in 2004 in the Indian Ocean. The second largest has been 100,000 in 1755 in Portugal, Morocco and the United Kingdom. The third largest is 70,000 in 1908 in Italy. In the Indian Ocean, an earthquake of 9.0 magnitude on the Richter scale took place. The epicenter was close to the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Earth's tectonic plates moved violently and displaced a large quantity of water. Powerful shock waves were sent in all directions. At some places, these waves reached a height of 9 meters. Within a span of some hours, killer waves hit the coasts of 11 Indian Ocean countries and devastated properties from Thailand to Africa. Other tsunami facts At the deepest point in the ocean, Tsunamis can have a speed of 600 mph. Close to the shore, this speed reduces to 30 to 40 mph. This energy of the wave's speed is transformed to increased height and sheer force. These waves can be as long as 100 kilometers and one hour apart. They can cross huge oceans without much loss of energy. Tsunamis can take place at any time in night or day. They can move up the rivers and streams that end up in the ocean. Tsunamis move faster than a human being. Megatsunami If the waves range from 40 meters to more than 100 meters, they are called a "megatsunami". When they reach land, they acquire more height due to the force of impact. They are also called "iminami" or "wave of purification". What Causes a Tsunami Tsunamis are the worst as well as the most powerful natural disasters known to man. What causes a tsunami and why are they so powerful? Find out the answers here... Tsunami is a seismic sea wave that is often caused by earthquakes, when the tectonic plates beneath the ocean floor collide with each other. These earthquakes may sometimes not cause a tsunami themselves, but may subsequently lead to it as a result of the oceanic landslide that occurs as a result of the initial earthquakes. These landslides cause huge masses of water to rise above the surface line, which often get further aggravated as a result of forming into giant waves within the shallow waters of shorelines. The third cause of tsunamis are volcanic eruptions. Let's learn more about what causes a tsunami and its relation with oceanic earthquakes.

Oceanic Earthquakes

Oceanic earthquakes are by far the most common causes of tsunamis. The reason being that there are tectonic plates under the earths surface. Those that are situated under the ocean floor sometimes rub against each other or collide against one another which causes a lot of energy to disperse. This heat and energy thereby causes the water to rise as a result of the pressure exerted from below. To make it clearer, what actually occurs during an under ocean earthquake is that the heavier tectonic plates try to slide their way through, from under the lighter tectonic plates. These plates are basically made up of condensed rock like matter that move along the asthenosphere which is a partially molted, weaker version as compared to mantle. The tectonic plates are also known as the litospheric plates that move along over the asthenosphere. Tsunami occur because, while the heavier plate tries to slide beneath the lighter one, it may end up getting stuck which leads to massive pressure being built up between the two plates as the heavier one pushes the lighter plate sideways and downwards. What happens next is that the lighter plate reaches its limit of being pulled downwards, it suddenly snaps back up to its original surface area which causes the pressure to explode upwards. This pressure pushes the water upwards, which forms into a humongous wave. The Ring of Fire Tsunamis can be so powerful that they can travel over many thousands of kilometers just so as to crash at the shores. Most tsunamis occur in the pacific ocean which is the biggest water body on earth. It covers 1/3 rd of the earths surface area, and is surrounded by deep oceanic trenches, island arcs and mountainous landscape. That is why this area is often called the 'Ring of Fire' because it is prone to earthquakes. With about 2/3 rd of the world being ocean, the consequences of a strong oceanic earthquake can be catastrophic. An example of the effects of tsunami, being the Christmas tsunami that hit the Indian ocean in 2004. The fact being that the earthquake occurred from the islands of Sumatra, and the magnitude of the earthquake was a massive 9.2 on the Richter scale. This earthquake caused a string of tsunamis that swept across Indonesia, India, Madagascar as well as Ethiopia! This tsunami was the worst ever, it claimed the lives of more than 283,000 as well as completely destroyed the landscapes, the buildings and all standing objects. Hopefully, now you know more about tsunamis and why they take place. The other ways in which a tsunami can occur is due to a meteoric impact and due to man-made phenomena such as nuclear testing of weapons under water in the ocean. Scientists have not yet come up with a way to prevent tsunamis from occurring, though certain measures have been taken that allow us to predict as to if a tsunami is approaching a specific group of areas through satellite identification and reading of oceanic waves. Before 1001 AD [edit]6100 BC: Norwegian Sea Main article: Storegga Slide The Storegga Slides occurred 100 km north-west of the Mre coast in the Norwegian Sea, causing a very large tsunami in the North Atlantic Ocean. This collapse involved an estimated 290 km length of coastal shelf, with a total volume of 3,500 km3 of debris.[4] Based on carbon dating of plant material recovered from sediment deposited by the tsunami, the latest incident occurred around 6100 BC.[5] In Scotland, traces of the subsequent tsunami have been recorded, with deposited sediment being discovered in Montrose Basin, the Firth of Forth, up to 80 km inland and 4 metres above current normal tide levels. [edit]1600 BC: Santorini, Greece Main article: Minoan eruption The volcanic eruption on Santorini, Greece is assumed to have caused severe damage to cities around it, most notably the Minoan civilization on Crete. A tsunami is assumed to be the factor that caused the most damage. [edit]426 BC: Malian Gulf, Greece Main article: 426 BC Malian Gulf tsunami In the summer of 426 BC, a tsunami hit the Malian Gulf between the northwest tip of Euboea and Lamia.[6] The Greek historian Thucydides (3.89.1-6) described how the tsunami and a series of earthquakes intervened with the events of the raging Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC) and correlated for the first time in the history of natural science quakes and waves in terms of cause and effect.[7] [edit]373 BC: Helike, Greece An earthquake and a tsunami destroyed the prosperous Greek city Helike, lying 2 km away from the sea. The fate of the city, which remained permanently submerged, was often commented upon by ancient writers[8] and may have inspired the contemporary Plato to the myth of Atlantis. [edit]79 AD: Gulf of Naples, Italy A smaller tsunami was witnessed in the Bay of Naples by Pliny the Younger during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.[9]