Tsunami - Geophysical Science

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Geophysical Science

9 February, 2015

Tsunamis

Tsunami is the Japanese word for “Harbor Wave” (Washington.edu). They are really big. A tectonic tsunami is formed when a fault snaps back into place when the tension is too much. The depth of focus is usually pretty shallow, the 2004 tsunami’s being at about 30 km down. The location is underneath the ocean. A mega tsunami, unlike a regular tsunami, is usually caused by massive landslides, such as mountains, as well as immense volcanic activity, or an asteroid crashing into the ocean. Tsunamis are different from regular, wind driven waves by being caused by earthquakes or massive objects falling into the water.

Both the 2011 and 2004 earthquake were at about magnitude 9. Both of the earthquakes that caused the tsunamis had a focus of around 30 km. A few differences in the two events are that they happened in different oceans, Japan had a lot more money to handle the earthquake and the one in the Indian Ocean had hundreds of thousands of deaths compared to Japans couple of thousands. A tectonic tsunami would be mild in comparison of that devastation that a mega tsunami would bring upon our world.

Works Cited

Mega Tsunami. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <https://i.ytimg.com/vi/tPQ5iTcnXW0/maxresdefault.jpg>.

"Mega Tsunami: Wave of Destruction." Mega Tsunamis. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2015. <http://www.sms-tsunami-warning.com/pages/mega-tsunami-wave-of-destruction#.VPi0SfnF-So>.

Tsunami. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2015. <http://www.hdwallpapers-3d.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/tsunami-pictures-hd-wallpaper-3.jpg>.

"What Does "tsunami" Mean?" What Does "tsunami" Mean? N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2015. <http://earthweb.ess.washington.edu/tsunami/general/physics/meaning.html>.