POWER POINT

PRESENTATION

Submitted by
Sony.S
Physical Science

NATURAL DISASTER

TSUNAMI

CONTENTS
What is tsunami
tsunami sources
tsunami locations
tsunami propagation
tsunami warning
Effects of tsunami

What is Tsunami?
When mass movement, such as an

earthquake or landslide, suddenly

displaces a large amount of water from its
equilibrium state a disastrous wave called
a tsunami can form.
Tsunami literally translates from Japanese
to harbor wave but are often call tidal
waves because small, distant-source
tsunamis resemble tidal surges.

BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA: June 23, 2004

A satellite image of the waterfront area of
Aceh province's capital city before the
tsunami.

BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA: December 28,

2004
An image taken after the tsunami shows
destroyed housing and the shoreline nearly
wiped out.

Tsunami Sources

Earthquakes (e.g. Sumatra, 2004: >200,000

people killed; Papa New Guinea, 1998: ~3,000
people killed)
Volcanic eruptions (e.g. Krakatoa, 1883:
tsunamis killed 30,000 people; Santorini, 2002).
Mass Movement (e.g. Alaska, 1958: waves up to
518 m high formed in Lituya Bay).
Extraterrestrial Impacts - large impacts have the
potential to create enormous tsunamis.

Tsunami Sources

Earthquakes that suddenly uplift or down-drop

the sea floor generate tsunamis.
Generally such surface deformation is largest for
reverse and normal faulting earthquakes, and
small for transform faulting events thus the
potential for tsunamis is lower for strike slip
faults (e.g. the Balleny earthquake 1998 did not
generate a tsunami). In general tsunami are
generated by reversal faults.

Tsunami Genesis
Tsunamis are

caused by events
that drastically and
suddenly shift a
large volume of
water.

FromPlummerMcGearyCarlson

Tsunami Earthquakes
Some earthquakes have generated very

large tsunamis for their size. These

events are called tsunami earthquakes.

Analysis of seismograms from these events

suggest that they are the result of lowfrequency seismic energy.
These earthquakes present a problem for
tsunami warning systems

Tsunami Earthquakes
One way to identify these events is to

compare Ms to Mw

Ms ~ 20 seconds period
Mw ~ 100-200 seconds period

Since the signals are enriched in long

periods the magnitude is unusually larger

than the Ms estimate.

Describing Tsunamis
Tsunami wave height is the height of the

wave at the shore.

Tsunami run-up height is the maximum
height that the wave reaches on land.

Tsunami Locations
Large subduction zones produce the most

tsunamis. The Pacific, rimmed with

subduction zones, has the most tsunamis.

Pacific ~ 80%
Atlantic ~ 10%
Elsewhere ~ 10%

Tsunami Propagation
Tsunamis are most devastating near the

earthquake. They are larger and strike the

region soon after the earthquake.
They also travel across entire oceans and
cause damage and death thousands of
miles from the earthquake.

Local Tsunami Damage

Damage close to the tsunami is usually more
devastating.
Even small events can generate locally high waves.
(For example in a bay the waves can be focused
and increase their amplitude, a landslide triggered
by an earthquake in a fiord in Alaska in 1958
created waves with a run-up up to 518 m high).
The warning time can be dramatically short.

Tsunami Warning
Because tsunamis travel relatively slowly,

we have a chance to warn distant regions

of potential tsunamis.

These efforts provide strong arguments for

real-time earthquake monitoring.

Alerts are issued routinely by cooperating

governments.

Tsunami Warning

As soon as an earthquake of magnitude >6.5 is

located in the sea the alarm start.
Using computer simulations and maps like the
one in the following slide scientists forecast the
time of arrival in different locations.
The use of Buoy and tide gauges help to verify
the effective presence of a tsunami, the alarm is
given.

Protecting Yourself (Tsunami)

Move to higher ground.
Wait until authorities give the go ahead to

return to low-lying regions.

Watch for surges of water in rivers and
streams near the coast.
If you feel a strong earthquake, dont wait
for a formal warning.

Rivers & Lakes

Shaking & Rivers & Lakes

Tsunamis are an ocean phenomena, but

any large body of water can be at risk if a

larger part of its water is suddenly
displaced.
Collapsing river banks or lake bluffs can
be hazardous to anyone on the water and
disrupt river traffic, which can impact local
economies.

Seiches
The sloshing of closed bodies of water

during an earthquake is call a seiche.

Large earthquakes have produced
seiches observed over large areas.
Although seiches have produced waves
with a height of a few feet, damage was
minimal.

Landslide in lakes
A much more serious hazard is a landslide

that it a lake in particular artificial basins.

In this case the wave generated can
overtop the dam and/or cause the dam
failure. The results can be devastating
(e.g. Longarone, Italy, 1963, 1917 people
killed)

Tsunami disaster

Tsunami disaster

Effects of tsunami

Effects of tsunami

Effects of tsunami