Portal:Tsunamis

The Tsunami portal

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami at Ao Nang, Krabi Province, Thailand

A tsunami (/(t)suːˈnɑːmi, (t)sʊˈ-/ (t)soo-NAH-mee, (t)suu-; from Japanese: 津波, lit. 'harbour wave', pronounced [tsɯnami]) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions (including detonations, landslides, glacier calvings, meteorite impacts and other disturbances) above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. Unlike normal ocean waves, which are generated by wind, or tides, which are in turn generated by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun, a tsunami is generated by the displacement of water from a large event.

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A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume within a body of water, often caused by earthquakes, or similar events. This may occur in lakes as well as oceans, presenting threats to both fishermen and shoreside inhabitants. Because they are generated by a near field source region, tsunamis generated in lakes and reservoirs result in a decreased amount of warning time. (Full article...)

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Events that can cause a tsunami

An impact event is a collision between astronomical objects causing measurable effects. Impact events have been found to regularly occur in planetary systems, though the most frequent involve asteroids, comets or meteoroids and have minimal effect. When large objects impact terrestrial planets such as the Earth, there can be significant physical and biospheric consequences, as the impacting body is usually traveling at several kilometres a second (a minimum of 11.2 km/s (7.0 mi/s) for an Earth impacting body), though atmospheres mitigate many surface impacts through atmospheric entry. Impact craters and structures are dominant landforms on many of the Solar System's solid objects and present the strongest empirical evidence for their frequency and scale. (Full article...)

List of events articles
Earthquake Submarine earthquake Tsunami earthquake Submarine eruption Landslide Glacier calving

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General images

The following are images from various tsunami-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Tsunami aftermath in Aceh, Indonesia, December 2004 (from Tsunami)
Image 2Japanese Tsunami warning sign (from Tsunami warning system)
Image 3Figure 1: Diagram showing how earthquakes can generate a tsunami. (from Tsunamis in lakes)
Image 4The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami at Ao Nang, Krabi Province, Thailand (from Tsunami)
Image 5A seawall at Tsu, Mie Prefecture in Japan
Image 6The wave further slows and amplifies as it hits land. Only the largest waves crest. (from Tsunami)
Image 7Plate slips, causing subsidence and releasing energy into water. (from Tsunami)
Image 8An illustration of the rhythmic "drawback" of surface water associated with a wave. It follows that a very large drawback may herald the arrival of a very large wave. (from Tsunami)
Image 9Tsunami warning system in East Timor (from Tsunami warning system)
Image 10Tsunami Early Warning Tower board in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka (from Tsunami warning system)
Image 11Diagram showing several measures to describe a tsunami size, including height, inundation and run-up (from Tsunami)
Image 12The energy released produces tsunami waves. (from Tsunami)
Image 13Over-riding plate bulges under strain, causing tectonic uplift. (from Tsunami)
Image 14Drawing of tectonic plate boundary before earthquake (from Tsunami)
Image 15Lisbon earthquake and tsunami in November 1755 (from Tsunami)
Image 16One of the deep water buoys used in the DART tsunami warning system (from Tsunami)
Image 17Evacuation route sign in a low-lying coastal area on the West Coast of the United States (from Tsunami warning system)
Image 18Calculated travel time map for the 1964 Alaska tsunami (in hours) (from Tsunami)
Image 19Mast with warning system, and sign detailing escape routes, on the coast of Okumatsushima, Miyagi prefecture, Japan (this coast was severely hit by the 2011 tsunami) (from Tsunami warning system)
Image 20When the wave enters shallow water, it slows down and its amplitude (height) increases. (from Tsunami)
Image 21Satellite image of Lake Kivu (from Tsunamis in lakes)
Image 22Evacuation route sign on the pavement in Kamakura, Japan (from Tsunami warning system)

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The 2009 Samoa earthquake and tsunami took place on 29 September 2009 in the southern Pacific Ocean adjacent to the Kermadec-Tonga subduction zone. The submarine earthquake occurred in an extensional environment and had a moment magnitude of 8.1 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong). It was the largest earthquake of 2009. The earthquake initiated with a normal-faulting event with a magnitude of 8.1. Within two minutes of the earthquake rupture, two large magnitude 7.8 earthquakes occurred on the subduction zone interface. The two magnitude 7.8 earthquakes had a combined magnitude equivalent to 8.0. The event can be considered a doublet earthquake. (Full article...)

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In the news

3 April 2024 – 2024 Hualien earthquake: A magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes off the coast of Taiwan, prompting tsunami warnings for Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. A large section of the uninhabited Guishan Island collapses into the ocean. Nine people are killed in Taiwan, including four by rockfalls, with more than 930 others injured. (AP) (Al Jazeera)