Causes Of Tsunamis

Did you know that if you have been caught by a tsunami wave, it is better not to swim, but rather to grab a floating object and allow the current to carry you? This is an interesting fact of how try to survive from a tsunami. This information will be well used by the citizen from the states of Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California because these are the states in the U.S. at greatest risk for a tsunami. That is why I want to talk about the factors that cause the formation of a tsunami and how does it affects on the population.

         A tsunami is usually caused by an earthquake but can also be caused by a volcanic eruption, landslide, rapid changes in atmospheric pressure, or a meteorite. The undersea earthquakes, which typically occur at boundaries between Earth’s tectonic plates, cause the water above to be moved up or down. Tsunami waves are formed as the displaced water, which acts under the influence of gravity, attempts to find a stable position again. Landslides can be caused by large earthquakes, can also cause tsunami waves.Volcano eruptions can create enough force to elevate the water column and generate a tsunami. And the last one, asteroid impacts disturb the water from above. For example about 4800 years ago an asteroid struck in the Indian Ocean, the tsunami that resulted is theorized to have been aproximately 600 feet or 180 m high.

          Tsunamis are obviously a natural disaster, humans are not 100 percent prepared or ready to support one and the effects of the tsunami are too many. Approximately 99% of all tsunami related fatalities have occurred within 160 miles or 250 km of the tsunami’s origin or within 30 minutes of when the tsunami was generated. Consequently, anyone in a coastal area who feels a strong earthquake should take that as a natural warning that a tsunami may be imminent and leave low lying coastal areas. In 2004 when the Indian Ocean tsunami many women and children were killed, because women were waiting for their husbands to reurn from fishing and children were just to weak to fight the strong currents.

            A tsunami is not just one big wave, but a series of waves called a “wave train.” The time period between waves is called the “wave period” and can be between a few minutes and two hours. The first wave is not usually the strongest but later waves, may be significantly large. I think a tsunami is very dangerous because we don´t know when or where is going to happend but we can take preventive methods to try to survive.