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    Tsunamis': Domonique Payan Geology-1 Professor Clark

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    1) Tsunamis are large ocean waves caused by underwater earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. They are formed when the seafloor abruptly rises or falls, displacing overlying water. 2) As tsunamis enter shallower coastal waters, their speed decreases causing wavelengths to compress and wave heights to amplify, often resulting in widespread damage when they reach land. 3) The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, measured 9.0 magnitude, caused over 15,000 deaths as tsunami waves over 130 feet tall destroyed coastal towns and flooded areas up to 6 miles inland.

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    Tsunamis': Domonique Payan Geology-1 Professor Clark

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    1) Tsunamis are large ocean waves caused by underwater earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. They are formed when the seafloor abruptly rises or falls, displacing overlying water. 2) As tsunamis enter shallower coastal waters, their speed decreases causing wavelengths to compress and wave heights to amplify, often resulting in widespread damage when they reach land. 3) The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, measured 9.0 magnitude, caused over 15,000 deaths as tsunami waves over 130 feet tall destroyed coastal towns and flooded areas up to 6 miles inland.

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    1) Tsunamis are large ocean waves caused by underwater earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. They are formed when the seafloor abruptly rises or falls, displacing overlying water. 2) As tsunamis enter shallower coastal waters, their speed decreases causing wavelengths to compress and wave heights to amplify, often resulting in widespread damage when they reach land. 3) The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, measured 9.0 magnitude, caused over 15,000 deaths as tsunami waves over 130 feet tall destroyed coastal towns and flooded areas up to 6 miles inland.

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    85 views10 pages

    Tsunamis': Domonique Payan Geology-1 Professor Clark

    Uploaded by

    api-317400432
    1) Tsunamis are large ocean waves caused by underwater earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. They are formed when the seafloor abruptly rises or falls, displacing overlying water. 2) As tsunamis enter shallower coastal waters, their speed decreases causing wavelengths to compress and wave heights to amplify, often resulting in widespread damage when they reach land. 3) The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, measured 9.0 magnitude, caused over 15,000 deaths as tsunami waves over 130 feet tall destroyed coastal towns and flooded areas up to 6 miles inland.

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    of 10

    Tsunamis

    Domonique Payan
    Geology-1
    Professor Clark

    Table of Contents
    Intro .3
    Movement of a Tsunami .3
    Formation of a Tsunami...4
    Example 2011 Tsunami of Japan.5
    Conclusion...6
    Work Cited..7

    Introduction
    Tsunami is a Japanese word for
    "Harbor Wave". A tsunami is a series of
    ocean waves that are typically caused
    by a large, undersea earthquake that
    take place near or at tectonic plate
    boundaries. When the ocean floor at a
    plate boundary rises or falls abruptly it
    displaces the water above it and launches the rolling waves that will soon after
    become a tsunami. In the deep ocean, the tsunami wave may only be a few inches
    to a foot or so high. But as it reaches the shoreline, where shallow water is located,
    they begin to slow down and grow in energy and height. This happens because the
    top of the waves move faster than the bottom waves do, which causes them to rise
    quickly, causing widespread destruction when they hit the shore. About 80 percent
    of most tsunamis take place within the Pacific Oceans Ring of Fire, which is
    known to be a geologically active area where plate tectonic shift, making
    volcanoes and earthquakes very common. In order for a tsunami to occur that are
    caused by seaquakes/earthquakes, three things have to happen. First the earthquake
    ought to measure at least 7, 0 on a Richter scale. Based from this high intensity
    upwards is there sufficient energy to be released to quickly displace enough water
    in order to create a tsunami. Secondly, the seabed has to lift or be lowered by the
    earthquake at hand. If the sea bed is displaced in a side-wards motion, a tsunami
    will not occur. Lastly, the start of the earthquake must occur near the earth's
    surface.
    Movement of a Tsunami
    Once tsunamis are generated, they can travel up to thousands of miles at a
    speed of 500 miles per hour. But if a tsunami is generated within the deep ocean,
    the waves send out from the starting place of the disturbance and begin to move
    toward land on all sides (spreading outward). These types of waves usually have a
    huge wavelength and short wave height. This is why they are not easily recognized
    in these regions, by the human eye.

    As the tsunami begins to move toward the shore, the ocean's depth decreases
    and its speed slows quickly, which causes the waves to grow in height due to the
    wavelength decreasing. This is
    known as amplification and is when
    tsunami waves are most noticeable.
    As the tsunami reaches the shore,
    the trough of the wave strikes first
    which at first seems to like a very
    low tide. This is usually a warning
    sign that a tsunami is about to take
    place. Soon after the trough, the
    climax of the tsunami comes ashore.
    The waves that are formed knock the land like a burly, fast wall of water, instead of
    a giant wave as shown in this picture. The further inward a tsunami travels on land
    is due to the magnitude of the tsunami when being formed. But if the trough of a
    tsunami wave reaches the land first, then the water will be pulled back into the sea
    by enormous currents. As this happens the stretches of the seabed are drained.
    The difference between a tsunami and normal waves or waves caused by
    strong wind is the intense distances between their wavelengths.
    Formation of a Tsunami
    Usually before an
    earthquake strikes a tectonic
    plate slowly pushes its self
    with incredible strength
    under another plate. The
    two plates then get caught
    and tension begins to form.
    Then the buildup of tension
    and the end of one plate
    becomes loose and launches
    itself back into its initial
    position. The tension that
    had been building up over

    time suddenly releases in an abrupt movement which is known to everyone to be


    an earthquake. After the earthquake strikes the seabed is known to have moved
    several meters upward. Then the mass of the water that is above the plates edge is
    then displaced with a short amount of time which then a tsunami is developed. So
    in other words tsunamis form from the sudden displacement of extremely large
    water masses due to earthquakes that takes place on the seabed.
    Japans Tsunami in 2011
    An earthquake occurred in Japan on March 11, 2011. It struck around 2:46
    p.m. local time with a magnitude of 9.0. It ruptured a 500-kilometer-long fault
    zone off the northeast coast of Japan. It was said that the earthquake aggressively
    shook northeast Honshu for approximately six minutes and its coastline collapsed
    by one meter. The thrusting, from the earthquake, shifted Honshu about 2.4 meters
    (8ft) eastward, at which triggered the
    waves on the Pacific Ocean floor to set
    off tsunami waves traveling at about
    700 kilometers per hour. Waves
    approximately 133ft tall crashed against
    Honshus coastline, destroying towns,
    villages and flooding areas up to 10
    kilometers (6 miles) inland. Tsunami
    waves also swept across the Pacific,
    causing damage or disruptions in Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington and
    British Columbia (earthmagazine: web).
    Japan lies on the circumference of the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is where
    the Earths fastest-moving and largest tectonic plate (the Pacific Plate) is
    subducting. It moves approximately several centimeters per year beneath several
    other plates along the deep trenches. This subduction area has been producing
    many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes along this Pacific Rim for millions of
    years.
    Reports confirmed that there were about 15,883 deaths, 6,146 injured and
    2,654 people missing (2011 Thoku). Not only did this unfortunate event
    damaged many buildings but it also caused severe structural damage in north-

    eastern Japan, which included serious damages to roads and railways as well as
    fires in several areas, and collapsed a dam.
    Conclusion
    In conclusion tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic
    eruptions under the sea. The majority of tsunamis are generated by earthquakes and
    volcanoes, along with
    the theory of plate
    tectonics, which
    explains the cause of
    earthquakes and
    volcanoes. An
    earthquake takes place
    when plates move with
    respect to each other.
    Due to the plates not
    being able to slide
    smoothly at their boundaries, friction and stress occur at their edges, causing an
    earthquake. In order for a tsunami to form this action (of an earthquake) must take
    place within water in a vertical motion. When the ocean floor at a plate boundary
    rises or falls abruptly it displaces the water above it and launches the rolling waves
    that will soon after become a tsunami. The effects of tsunamis may vary but as we
    can see from the 2011 tsunami of Japan, tsunami can cause an enormous amount of
    damage to property and even cause death to those within proximity of the tsunami,
    as well as structural damage. If you are in or live in a coastal community and feel
    the shaking of a strong earthquake, let that be your warning because you have only
    a few minutes, maybe hours if lucky, until a tsunami arrives. Once you have felt
    the earthquake you should immediately move (yourself and loved ones) away from
    the water and to higher ground. If you so happen to be in a place where the
    surrounding area is flat, you should move inland. It is also recommended that even
    if you do not feel shaking, and hear that an area has experienced a large earthquake
    that could send a tsunami in your direction, you should begin preparation for high
    ground as a precaution; do not wait for an official warning.
    Works Cited

    National Geographics Webpage:


    http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/naturaldisasters/tsunami-profile/
    2011 Japan Tsunami Images: Google images
    https://www.google.com/search?q=japan+2011+tsunami&client=firefoxa&hs=etV&rls=org.mozilla:enUS:official&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=dnZAUsyVGaWtigLJ9YD
    oCw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=612&dpr=1#imgdii=_
    Earth the Science behind Headlines Webpage:
    http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/japans-megaquake-and-killer-tsunamihow-did-happen
    2011 Thoku earthquake and tsunami, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_T
    %C5%8Dhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami

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