The term tsunami comes from the Japanese words tsu harbor and nami wave A tsunami is actually a series of powerful waves that travel great distances across the world’s oceans very quickly A tsunami wave can be 60 miles 97 km long and 100 feet 30 m tall of the water The size and strength of these waves depend on the speed of the wind Tsunamis however are created when a sudden disturbance such as an earthquake volcano or landslide moves a large amount of water Most waves are created by wind blowing across the surface 6 WlCKED WAVES
7 PLACES THAT ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE TSUNAMIS MAY HAVE SIGNS LIKE THIS ONE POSTED TO REMIND PEOPLE HOW TO STAY SAFE EARTHQUAKE A SHAKING OF THE GROUND CAUSED BY THE MOVEMENT OF EARTH’S CRUST
The size and strength of a tsunami’s waves depend on the power of the event that created them Strong earthquakes and large landslides release great energy that can move or displace a lot of water While the force of the energy pushes the water up gravity pulls it down This causes waves to spread in all directions RING OF FIRE MOST TSUNAMIS OCCUR IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN TSUNAMIS OFTEN ORIGINATE IN THE RING OF FIRE AN AREA WHERE UNDERWATER VOLCANOES AND EARTHQUAKES ARE COMMON THE RING OF FIRE RUNS ALONG THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN TECTONIC PLATES 8 PACIFIC OCEAN
9 SINCE TSUNAMI WAVES CAN BE TALL THEY MAY AFFECT INLAND AREAS THAT ARE UP TO 50 FEET 15 M ABOVE SEA LEVEL EXPLORE MORE WHILE 80 PERCENT OF TSUNAMIS BEGIN IN THE RING OF FIRE THEY HAVE ALSO FORMED IN OTHER BODIES OF WATER INCLUDING THE CARIBBEAN AND MEDITERRANEAN SEAS AND THE INDIAN AND ATLANTIC OCEANS
