What is Tsunami?
Tsunami is a Japanese word, 'tsu' means harbor and 'nami' means waves. When a tsunami occurs, a number of waves move in all directions, they can reach places that are hundreds of miles away and reach speeds of 560 mph. Tsunami cannot be predicted, we do not know when a tsunami will happen before the earthquake occurs. Once a large potentially tsunamigenic earthquake does occur, we can forecast tsunami arrival times and wave heights through the use of computer modeling.
These waves are extremely powerful and pretty much destroy anything that gets in their way. They can reach speeds of 560 mph. Near coastlines, the waters are not very deep so the water piles up. When the tsunami reaches the coast, it slows down to around 30 mph. The powerful wave will crash onto the coast and destroys beaches, buildings, roads and anything else without difficulty.
How are Tsunami formed?
Tsunami can be formed by earthquakes or volcanic eruption occurs under the sea. The earthquake releases a lot of energy that creates these waves. The crust of earth contains many plates that always move. In some cases, one plate moves on top of another plate. When this happens, the plate that moves upward pushes the water above and a tsunami is born. About 80% of all tsunamis result from undersea earthquakes.
Tsunami occurrences
All oceanic regions of the world can experience tsunamis, but in the Pacific Ocean and its marginal seas, there is a much more frequent occurrence of large, destructive tsunamis because of the many large earthquakes along the margins of the Pacific Ocean. Major tsunamis occur about once per decade. Based on historical data, about 59% of the world's tsunamis have occurred in the Pacific Ocean, 25% in the Mediterranean Sea, 12% in the Atlantic Ocean, and 4% in the Indian Ocean.
The 10 worst tsunami in history
- Sumatra, Indonesia - 26 December 2004
- North Pacific Coast, Japan - 11 March 2011
- Lisbon, Portugal - 1 November 1755
- Krakatau, Indonesia - 27 August 1883
- Enshunada Sea, Japan - 20 September 1498
- Nankaido, Japan - 28 October 1707
- Sanriku, Japan - 15 June 1896
- Northern Chile - 13 August 1868
- Ryuku Islands, Japan - 24 April 1771
- Ise Bay, Japan - 18 January 1586
Credits:
Created with images by NeuPaddy - "wave atlantic pacific" • Chill Mimi - "Tsunami"