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| TSUNAMIS. Waves of Destruction. |
A tsunamis is a series of ocean waves that sends surges of water, sometimes reaching heights of over 100 feet (30.5 meters), onto land. These walls of water can cause widespread destruction when they crash ashore.
Tsunamis are large waves caused by earthquakes or
volcanic eruptions beneath the ocean. Get into the depths of the ocean, tsunami
waves don't dramatically increase in height. But as the waves travel
landlocked, they build up to higher and higher heights because the depth of the
ocean decreases. The speed of waves depends on ocean depth instead the distance
from the source of the wave. Tsunami waves may travel as fast as jet planes
over deep waters, only slowing down when reaching shallow waters. While
tsunamis are typically referred to as tidal waves, this name is discouraged by
oceanographers because tides have very
little to do with these large waves.
A powerful earthquake struck the coast of Chile in
1960. Many people were frightened and got into their boats in the harbour to
escape the disaster.
Soon enormous waves caused by the earthquake rose up
from the sea. These violent waves were each more than three stories high. They
destroyed all the boats and killed the people in them. The waves then travelled
for 15 hours across the Pacific Ocean to Hilo in Hawaii, where they destroyed
more property.
These waves are known as 'tsunamis', from the Japanese
for 'harbour wave'. A tsunami is large destructive wave created by the shock
from an earthquake or volcanic eruption. The impact of a meteorite could also
create a tsunami. Tsunamis travel fast and have the force to destroy entire
coastal communities within moments.
A tsunamis can travel at speeds of 725 kilometers per
hour or more (as fast as a jet plane) and packs tremendous force. As a tsunami
approaches land, it grows larger. It continues to travel until its energy is
completely used up. All low-lying coastal areas are vulnerable to a tsunamis
disaster.
In December 2004 an earthquake caused a major tsunamis
in the Indian Oceans. The earthquake struck off the coasts of Indonesia. Two
hours later, waves as high as 9 meters hit coastal area some 1,200 kilometers
away. The tsunamis killed more than 200,000 people in at least 10 countries.
TSUNAMIS. Waves of Destruction.
Tsunami Impacts:
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami reached heights of sixty
five to a hundred feet in Sumatra, caused over 200,000 deaths from Indonesia to
East Africa, and registered on tide gauges throughout the world.
The 1964 American state Alaska tsunami led to 110
deaths, some as secluded as Crescent City, Calif.
In 1918, an earthquake and tsunami killed 118 people
in Puerto Rico. Many such events have struck this region in historic times
A tsunami that originated on the Washington, Oregon,
and California coasts in 1700 overran Native American fishing camps and caused
harm in Japan.
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