Tsunami

Tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, usually an ocean, though it can occur in large lakes. Tsunami, Japanese word meaning harbor wave, used as the scientific term for a class of abnormal sea wave that can cause catastrophic damage when it hits a coastline.

Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions (including detonations of underwater nuclear devices), sciorrucks (underwater landslides), glacier calving and other mass movements, meteorite ocean impacts or similar impact events, and other disturbances above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. But The most frequent cause of tsunami is an undersea earthquake. While everyday wind waves have a wavelength (from crest to crest) of about 100 meter (330 feet) and a height of roughly 2 meter (6.6 feet), A tsunami can have wavelengths, or widths (the distance between one wave crest to the next), of 100 to 200 km ( 60 to 120 mil), and may travel hundreds of kilometer across the deep ocean, reaching speeds of about 725 to 800 km/h (about 450 to 500 mph). A tsunami is not one wave but a series of waves. In the deep ocean, the waves may be only about half a meter (a foot or two) high. People onboard a ship passing over it would not oven notice the tsunami. Upon entering shallow coastal waters, however, the waves may suddenly grow rapidly in height. When the waves reach the shore, they may be 15 m (50 feet) high or more. Tsunamis can also take the form of a very fast tide or bore, depending on the shape of the sea floor.

Tsunami cause damage by two mechanisms: the smashing force of a wall of water travelling at high speed, and the destructive power of a large volume of water draining off the land and carrying all with it, even if the wave did not look large. About 80% of tsunami occur in the Pacific Ocean, but they are possible wherever there are large bodies of water, including lakes. A tsunami cannot be precisely predicted, even if the magnitude and location of an earthquake is known. Geologists, oceanographers, and seismologistsanalyze each earthquake and based on many factors may or may not issue a tsunami warning. However, there are some warning signs of an impending tsunami, and automated systems can provide warnings immediately after an earthquake in time to save lives. One of the most successful systems uses bottom pressure sensors, attached to buoys, which constantly monitor the pressure of the overlying water column.