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    A Tsunami: Samarth Class X

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    gunaraman31
    This document discusses tsunamis, including what causes them, where they commonly occur, and examples of major past tsunamis. Tsunamis are most often triggered by large underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and asteroids. Regions at high risk for tsunamis are located along plate boundaries in the Pacific Ring of Fire, around Japan, the U.S. west coast, and the Mediterranean. The devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 230,000 people is also described.

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    A Tsunami: Samarth Class X

    Uploaded by

    gunaraman31
    25 views23 pages
    This document discusses tsunamis, including what causes them, where they commonly occur, and examples of major past tsunamis. Tsunamis are most often triggered by large underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and asteroids. Regions at high risk for tsunamis are located along plate boundaries in the Pacific Ring of Fire, around Japan, the U.S. west coast, and the Mediterranean. The devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 230,000 people is also described.

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    Tsunamis

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    This document discusses tsunamis, including what causes them, where they commonly occur, and examples of major past tsunamis. Tsunamis are most often triggered by large underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and asteroids. Regions at high risk for tsunamis are located along plate boundaries in the Pacific Ring of Fire, around Japan, the U.S. west coast, and the Mediterranean. The devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 230,000 people is also described.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    25 views23 pages

    A Tsunami: Samarth Class X

    Uploaded by

    gunaraman31
    This document discusses tsunamis, including what causes them, where they commonly occur, and examples of major past tsunamis. Tsunamis are most often triggered by large underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and asteroids. Regions at high risk for tsunamis are located along plate boundaries in the Pacific Ring of Fire, around Japan, the U.S. west coast, and the Mediterranean. The devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 230,000 people is also described.

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    You are on page 1of 23

    A Tsunami

    Samarth
    Class X

    1
    •what it is
    •where it happens
    •why it happens
    •where it could happen next
    2
    • A Japanese word
    which means
    ‘harbour wave’.
    • Tsunamis have
    occurred many times
    in history.
    • Since 1992, 17
    major tsunamis were
    recorded, 11 of
    which in the Pacific.
    • These left 4000
    dead.
    3
    • Earthquakes
    • Volcanoes
    • Landslides
    • Asteroids

    can all trigger


    off a tsunami!

    4
    cause Tsunamis!

    • These are the most


    destructive and common
    tsunamis;
    • When a quake is colossal,
    at least 7.5 in magnitude,
    it displaces enough water
    to case a huge wave;
    • Such quakes often occurs
    at a thrust fault.

    Past Earthquakes and Tsunamis in the


    Indian Ocean– note the magnitude of5 the
    1883 and 2004 earthquakes/tsunamis
    can cause
    tsunamis!

    (1)
    A classic
    aboveground
    eruption can
    disturb the ocean
    floor and
    generate a
    tsunami.

    6
    - contd.
    (2) submarine events like
    eruptions, cascades of ash
    or the collapse of a
    volcanic flank, can also
    be the cause of a tsunami.
    In 1883, the volcanic
    eruption of Krakatau and
    the collapse of its caldera
    stirred up 130-foot high
    waves and killed 36,000
    people.
    7
    can cause tsunamis!

    Usually set off by


    •Earthquakes or
    •Rock and icefalls
    Highest such wave
    was recorded in
    Lituya Bay, Alaska in
    1958: a quake-
    triggered rock fall
    threw up a 500+m 8
    wave.
    can
    cause a
    tsunami!

    Chesapeake
    Bay

    35 million years ago an asteroid blasted


    an 80 km wide crater under what is now
    the southern tip of Chesapeake Bay.
    The resulting waves are known to have
    roared inland for hundreds of miles!
    9
    Artist’s impression of
    contd.
    the impact of an
    asteroid on Earth –
    an asteroid of a few
    kilometres in
    diameter may
    release as much
    energy as several
    million nuclear
    bombs detonating!

    Let us hope that the next asteroid falls


    on some other planet!
    10
    The Development of a Tsunami - a simplified
    diagram applicable to the 26.12.04 Asian Tsunami

    11
    • happened in the
    Indian Ocean
    • effected 12
    countries around
    Bay of Bengal and
    beyond
    • triggered by a
    quake of
    magnitude 9.3
    with its epicentre
    west of Sumatra
    12
    •Wave started when a 960km stretch of fault line off
    Sumatra’s coast finally snapped. The 9.3 quake lifted
    the seabed by about 5 metres.
    •Minutes later the tsunami split sending energy pulses
    east towards the Sumatra coast and west across the
    open ocean.
    •As the leading tsunami raced towards Sumatra and
    shallower water, its speed slowed, its wavelength
    shortened and its height rose to around 30metres. 13
    300 000 dead Loss of property

    Thousands of Tourist resorts and


    houses coastline buildings
    destroyed destroyed

    14
    Location Deaths Losses
    (billions)
    1 Kobe, Japan 6 430 $100
    2 Northridge, USA 61 44
    3 Nigata, Japan 39 28
    4 Spitak, Armenia 25 000 14
    5 Nantou, Taiwan 2 370 14
    6 Izmit, Turkey 15 000 12
    7 Irpinia, Italy 2 900 11.8
    8 Sumatra 140 000+ 10+
    9 Loma Prieta, USA 40 000 10
    15
    10 Gilan, Iran 40 000 7.1
    This map showing epicentres of earthquakes is very
    eloquent – it is at the places where continental plates
    meet that it is more likely that tsunamis will occur!
    16
    At particular risk are those places which are 17
    found at the juncture of tectonic plates
    The Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia sits on the Kuril-Kamchatka
    Trench and is flanked by volcanic ranges. 29 of the 160
    volcanoes which surround it are still active. This makes the area
    a prime candidate for a tsunami!

    The Kamchatka Peninsula


    is shown in red. Its relief is
    18
    shown at right.
    is very prone to a tsunami. The East coast of Japan
    is also very closely watched. 19
    These two N American states sit on continental
    shelves where sediments collect and the unstable
    flanks of volcanoes are landslide prone.

    20
    The San Andreas fault in
    California is closely watched.
    It is the cause of many
    earthquakes like the one
    shown above in San Francisco.
    21
    The Mediterranean sits on the junction of the Eurasian and African
    Plate and is therefore prone to earthquakes and tsunamis. In 1630
    a volcano on the Greek Island of Santorini exploded and sped the
    Minoan civilisation demise. 22
    Here’s hoping that none of us is ever in
    the path of a tsunami.
    GOOD LUCK to us all!

    23

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