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An estimated 3,000 people died on July 17, 1998 in New Guinea following a 7.1 magnitude earthquake 15 miles offshore that generated a 40 foot tall wall of water which hit the island only 10 minutes later.
In 1964, an earthquake in Alaska generated a 20 foot tall wave that eventually hit the coast of Oregon and devastated parts of Crescent City, California.
Not really. Tsunamis comes in a wide variety of sizes, everything from the massive major disaster to small waves that you might not even notice happening.
The Japanese village of Sanriku was hit by a massive tsuami in 1986. The wave was estimated to be more than seven stories high, killing 26,000 people.
A tsunami can reach speeds up to 500 miles per hour racing across the ocean.
A tsunami increases in energy and wave height as it approaches land. A tsunami will many times have a “vacuum” effect just before it hits, sucking water away from harbors and beaches.
Almost 80 percent of all tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean.
Many coastal cities have implemented tsunami warning systems and put signage up to signify evacuation routes. In the event of a threat, an emergency warning will also be sent to the public by emergency alert weather radio.
The word “tsunami” comes for the Japanese word for harbor (tsu) and wave (nami). These huge surges of ocean water are sometimes incorrectly termed tidal waves, but tides really have nothing to do with.
A tsunami is caused by a large disturbance in the ocean that vertically displaces water. Such disturbances include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides or other methods.
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Mary White |