Tsunamis

TSUNAMIS Ana Vera

What is a Tsunami?

Tsunamis are a series of enormous waves caused by under sea disturbance such as earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, or other disturbances.

According to the book it is also called seismic sea wave.

How is a tsunami formed? Where is it happening?

One example of how a tsunami is formed is by earthquakes. These earthquakes are caused by tectonic plates slipping and releasing a massive amount of energy into the water. This energy travels up to the surface where the tsunami is then formed.

There’s a difference between a regular wave and a tsunami wave. A regular wave is caused by the air itself while the tsunami wave is prorogated by a disturbance underneath which then becomes the energy of the tsunami wave. It kind of for example when you take a rock and throw it in a pond. It creates ripples right? With a tsunami this ripples are the waves that become the tsunami.

Top 2 Tsunamis in our recent time.

2. North Pacific Coast, Japan - March 11 2011 Deaths: 18,000

The japan earthquake occurred when the Pacific plate thrust under the North American plate. The temblor completely released centuries of built up stress between the two tectonic plates. This earthquake lasted about 5 minutes. The magnitude of the earthquake was 9.0 and kept decreasing as time went by.

It was centered on the seafloor 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of Tohoku, at a depth of 15 miles (24 km) below the surface.

Japan Tsunami 2011

NUMBER 1 TSUNAMI 1. Sumatra, Indonesia – December 26 2004 Deaths: 230,000

On December 26 2004 a magnitude of a 9.3 earthquake hit Indonesia.

The undersea earthquake was caused when the Indian Plate was subducted by the Burma Plate. This tsunami was one of the deadliest natural disasters in history killing over 200,000 people all through south Asia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG37DEAb3Bc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NfKZAiWRoE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y29cU_bwfHI

How does it affect life on Earth? Or how is life on Earth affected by it?

Not only people are prone to die but so are animals that live close to ocean currents or even sea creatures who get washed into land. Other Hazards could be flooding and contamination of water. Also we can’t forget the gas lines that could cause fires.

What are some solutions? One thing is certain about tsunamis: they are unpredictable.

So how can we stop tsunamis? Some areas like japan tried to stop tsunamis by building sea walls to divert the water however the wall did not work for japan in 2011. The tsunami surpassed the wall protecting japans Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant which caused a nuclear disaster. According to live science, In July 2013, the Tokyo Electric Power Company, admitted that about 300 tons of radioactive water continues to leak from the plant every day into the Pacific Ocean.

Although a tsunami cant be prevented from happening, there are many ways we can be alerted that a tsunami may hit. Many Scientist and geologist have been working on ways to get early detection. Some ways they are doing that is by monitoring water pressure as well as installing

“The safest thing is for people to live on higher ground and for people’s homes and their workplaces to be in separate locations. If we do that, we don’t need to have a ‘Great Wall,'”

If you live close to the coast line or if you’re on vacation and stay close to the coast line. It is important to know how to swim. Most deaths are from people that don’t know how to swim.

Also its important to be prepared with canned foods, water, and a safety kit. Also, if an earthquake hits be alert to any warnings of a potential tsunami.