TSUNAMI

Tsunami Defined - The word Tsunami is a Japanese word meaning harbor wave which describes a massive or series of waves. Vertical movement of the earths crust generates these giant walls of water often referred to as a wave train or tsunami. Many events as such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, or even meteorite impact may cause a Tsunami.

Swells - A Tsunami has gigantic swells, often many kilometers deep and can move the entire depth of the ocean; they may cause damage thousands of kilometers away from their original source. These massive surges of water travel at tremendous speeds ranging from as much as five hundred to one thousand kilometers per hour and can travel across the Pacific Ocean in less than one hour.

Waves - The span of time between waves is known as the wave period and in most cases there are only minutes between surges, but in many instances more than an hour has passed between them. Due to their unpredictable nature many lives have been lost when people have returned home too early only to be hit by another wave and have their homes and lives washed away forever.

Warning - Many areas at risk for a Tsunami rely on emergency warning systems put in place to detect and warn the residents of impending disaster. An interesting phenomenon has been observed while watching the local animals in these disaster prone areas; they seem too instinctively sense imminent danger and flee to higher ground. Many scientist believe that animals may be able to sense tremors in the earth long before humans can and are therefore able to retreat before tragedy strikes.

History - The biggest tsunami in recent history occurred off the coast of Sumatra and was caused by an underwater earthquake. Two smaller earthquakes that occurred days before the killer wave on December 26th, 2004 preceded this monster wave. The Richter scale recorded this last quake to have a magnitude of 9.2 and pinpointed it to occurring off the West Coast of Northern Sumatra.

The official death toll is not known but is estimated somewhere between 200 000 and 300 000 people. The devastation that was left and the clean up that followed was unprecedented when compared to any natural disaster that has occurred in recent history.

For news updates on this topic visit Tsunami News BBC They appear to be one of the few credible sites that offer frequent updates including survivors stories, analysis, aid effort, and photos.

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