Roy Elal 7B Due Date: 2/25/11
What is a tsunami? A tsunami is a very large water wave that is caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption and often causes extreme destruction when it strikes land. Tsunamis can have heights of up to 30 m. and reach speeds of 950 km. per hour. They are characterized by long wavelengths of up to 200 km. and long periods, usually between 10 and 60 minutes. How are tsunamis caused? There are a couple of ways, and I will mention three. The first way, and the main way, is by underwater earthquakes, usually these types of tsunamis cause the most damage. Another reason is by volcanic eruptions, which is a rare and an infrequent way, which also causes a lot of damage, to the land nearby. The last way is by extraterrestrial collision, also known as meteors, or asteroids, are the most unlikely ways for a tsunami to occur. I live in Belgrade, and in Belgrade, it's almost impossible, for a tsunami to because, there isn't enough water, or sea, for a tsunami to happen, unless a tsunami happens from ada ciganlija, and I doubt that would do a lot of damage. Tsunami have no positive effects, on neither people, or the Earth.
Safety in a tsunami
- Go to a higher ground immediately (recommended by foot.)
- If not possible to go on high ground, then go inland as far as possible.
- Have a radio, to receive information about the tsunami.
- Most importantly, don't panic!
Ring of fire
The Ring of Fire, or the Pacific Ring of Fire, is a 40,000 km (25,000 mi) stretch of geologically active land extending in a horseshoe shape around the Pacific Rim. The Ring of Fire gets its name from the numerous volcanoes and earthquakes along it — 542 volcanoes and thousands of minor earthquakes every year. The Ring of Fire is the most volcanically active area on Earth: 50% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes can be found here, 90% of the world's earthquakes, and 81% of the world's major earthquakes.
Tsunami impacts
Tsunamis will definitely cause casualties and injuries. Tsunamis, as they originate from the sea, will wash fishing boats and other boats such as cruises onto shore. The boats will be stuck on shore and usually wrecked from the forces of the wave. The waves will also cause fishes to be washed onto shore and stuck there to die. They can also flood the lands near the shore, causing people to die from them. This will damage the crops and cause nearby buildings to collapse. Some people might be trapped under the buildings and die. They uproot trees too, causing them to fall on houses and people. Lastly, they cause economic decline as they have to spend a lot of money rebuilding the houses and restoring the original landscape, especially if it is a beautiful resort. They would also have to compensate the victims' families as a form of comfortation. They would also face a decrease in tourism.
Tsunamis are considered one of the most deadly natural disasters that occur especially if you live on the coastline. In total, Tsunamis killed above 420,000 people, and some of the bodies of those people have not been found yet. These vicious, shocking waves do not only kill, and injure people and animals, but they also destroy, and just demolish buildings, and in the end, the country might need billions of dollars to repair everything, which is usually a problem in small or poor countries. For example, in 2004, a terrible tsunami occurred in the Indian Ocean, and the force of the tsunami was like the force of the 23,000 atomic bombs that were dropped by the Americans on Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II. This tsunami killed 150,000 people, and left millions homeless, in the 11 countries it affected.
All-in-all, as you can see, tsunamis can be very dangerous! So if you are going on a vacation, make sure the place you want to go doesn't have tsunamis often! Mainly around the Indian ocean. Unfortunately, there is never a 100% way to predict a tsunami, only very close to that, just like no one can predict (almost) anything for 100%.
Interesting facts
- If the ocean is deep, tsunami's can be less than a foot high on the ocean's surface.
- Scientists can accurately estimate the time when a tsunami will arrive almost anywhere around the world based on calculations using the depth of the water, distances from one place to another, and the time that the earthquake or other event occurred.
- Hawaii gets a tsunami, once a year, and a damaging tsunami, once every seven years.
- In 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami was caused by an earthquake that is thought to have had the energy of 23,000 atomic bombs.
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