TSUNAMI!

http://www.tsunami.org/index.html
Directions: Go to the above website to find information about Tsunamis. Most
answers can be found on the FAQ page under the “Science” selection.

Question: Answer:
1. What does the
word “tsunami”
mean? Why are they
no longer called
“tidal waves”?

2. What causes
a tsunami?

3. How is a tsunami
wave different from a
normal wave?

4. What is “runup” and

“inundation”?
5. How long does it take
a tsunami to reach land?
How fast do they travel?

6. What is the “Tsunami

Warning system”?

7. What is the "wrap-

around" effect?

8. How many waves are

there in a tsunami?

9. How does a tsunami

behave as it approaches
land?
 KEY TO: TSUNAMI!
http://www.tsunami.org/index.html
Directions: Go to the above website to find information about Tsunamis. Most
Answers can be found on the FAQ page under the “Science” selection.

Question: Answer:
1. What does the word “Tsunami“ is a Japanese word that means “harbor
“tsunami” mean? Why wave”. But now it refers to a series of waves traveling
are they no longer across the ocean with extremely long wavelengths
called “tidal waves”? (up to hundreds of miles between wave crests in the
deep ocean). They are no longer called “tidal waves”
because they are not generated by tides.

2. What causes a Most tsunamis are caused by underwater earthquakes

tsunami? which cause a sudden rise or fall in the sea floor.
They can also be caused by underwater volcanic
action or landslides.

3. How is a tsunami Normal waves are generated by wind blowing over the
wave different from a sea surface. The distance between these waves,
normal wave? (wavelength), ranges from a couple of feet to perhaps a
thousand feet. The speed of these waves ranges from
a few miles an hour up to sixty miles an hour.
Tsunami waves have a distance between successive
wave crests (the wavelength) that may be hundreds of
miles. Depending on the depth of the water in which
the tsunami is travelling, it may attain speeds of up to
600 miles an hour.
4. What is “runup” and When a tsunami approaches a coastline, the wave
“inundation”? begins to slow down and increase in height,
depending on the topography of the sea floor. The
maximum vertical height to which the water is
observed with reference to sea level is referred to as
runup. The maximum horizontal distance that is
reached by a tsunami is referred to as inundation
5. How long does it take Once generated, a tsunami wave in the open ocean can
a tsunami to reach land? travel with speeds greater than 500 miles an hour.
How fast do they travel? These waves can travel across the Pacific Ocean in
less than a day. Locally generated tsunamis can reach
coastlines in just minutes.
6. What is the “Tsunami The main objectives of this system are: To detect and
Warning system”? locate the existence of all possible tsunami-causing
earthquakes by the use of properly monitored
seismographs; to ensure that a tsunami actually exists
by measuring water level changes at water level and
tide-gauging stations located throughout the Pacific;
and finally, to determine the time of arrival of the
tsunami and to provide an adequate warning for
evacuation procedures. The Pacific Tsunami Warning
Center is located on O'ahu.

7. What is the "wrap- As large tsunami waves approach the islands, they may
around" effect? refract or bend around the islands and diffract through
the channels between the islands as well. The ability of
tsunami waves to bend around and through the islands
is called the wrap-around effect.

8. How many waves are A tsunami generally consists of a series of waves, often
there in a tsunami? referred to as the tsunami wave train. The amount of time
between successive waves, known as the wave period, is
usually a few minutes; in some instances, waves are over
an hour apart. Many people have lost their lives after
returning home in between the waves of a tsunami,
thinking that the waves had stopped coming.

9. How does a tsunami This is dependent on several local factors, including

behave as it approaches topography of the seafloor (bathymetry) and the actual
land? shape of the shoreline. As a tsunami encounters
shallow waters surrounding the shoreline, its height can
increase from three feet (one meter) or less to over 50
feet (15 meters). Wave heights can also increase when
concentrated on headlands or when traveling into bays
having wide entrances that become progressively more
narrow. The presence of an offshore coral reef can
dissipate the energy of a tsunami, decreasing the
impact on the shoreline.
Most tsunamis appear as an advancing flood or wall
of water with no developed wave face, resulting in
rapid flooding of low-lying coastal areas.