Portal:Tsunamis

The Tsunami portal

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami at Ao Nang, Krabi Province, Thailand

A tsunami (/(t)suːˈnɑːmi, (t)sʊˈ-/ (t)soo-NAH-mee, (t)suu-; from Japanese: 津波, lit. 'harbour wave', pronounced [tsɯnami]) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions (including detonations, landslides, glacier calvings, meteorite impacts and other disturbances) above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. Unlike normal ocean waves, which are generated by wind, or tides, which are in turn generated by the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun, a tsunami is generated by the displacement of water from a large event.

Selected article

A tsunami deposit (the term tsunamiite is also sometimes used) is a sedimentary unit deposited as the result of a tsunami. Such deposits may be left onshore during the inundation phase or offshore during the 'backwash' phase. Such deposits are used to identify past tsunami events and thereby better constrain estimates of both earthquake and tsunami hazards. There remain considerable problems, however, in distinguishing between deposits caused by tsunamis and those caused by storms or other sedimentary processes. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Events that can cause a tsunami

A mass of ice calves from the Perito Moreno glacier in Lago Argentino

Ice calving, also known as glacier calving or iceberg calving, is the breaking of ice chunks from the edge of a glacier. It is a form of ice ablation or ice disruption. It is the sudden release and breaking away of a mass of ice from a glacier, iceberg, ice front, ice shelf, or crevasse. The ice that breaks away can be classified as an iceberg, but may also be a growler, bergy bit, or a crevasse wall breakaway. (Full article...)

List of events articles
Earthquake Submarine earthquake Tsunami earthquake Submarine eruption Landslide Meteorite impact

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General images

The following are images from various tsunami-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Mast with warning system, and sign detailing escape routes, on the coast of Okumatsushima, Miyagi prefecture, Japan (this coast was severely hit by the 2011 tsunami) (from Tsunami warning system)
Image 2Lisbon earthquake and tsunami in November 1755 (from Tsunami)
Image 3Evacuation route sign in a low-lying coastal area on the West Coast of the United States (from Tsunami warning system)
Image 4When the wave enters shallow water, it slows down and its amplitude (height) increases. (from Tsunami)
Image 5Satellite image of Lake Kivu (from Tsunamis in lakes)
Image 6Tsunami aftermath in Aceh, Indonesia, December 2004 (from Tsunami)
Image 7Over-riding plate bulges under strain, causing tectonic uplift. (from Tsunami)
Image 8Tsunami warning system in East Timor (from Tsunami warning system)
Image 9An illustration of the rhythmic "drawback" of surface water associated with a wave. It follows that a very large drawback may herald the arrival of a very large wave. (from Tsunami)
Image 10Evacuation route sign on the pavement in Kamakura, Japan (from Tsunami warning system)
Image 11Japanese Tsunami warning sign (from Tsunami warning system)
Image 12Tsunami Early Warning Tower board in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka (from Tsunami warning system)
Image 13Drawing of tectonic plate boundary before earthquake (from Tsunami)
Image 14Calculated travel time map for the 1964 Alaska tsunami (in hours) (from Tsunami)
Image 15The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami at Ao Nang, Krabi Province, Thailand (from Tsunami)
Image 16Diagram showing several measures to describe a tsunami size, including height, inundation and run-up (from Tsunami)
Image 17The energy released produces tsunami waves. (from Tsunami)
Image 18Figure 1: Diagram showing how earthquakes can generate a tsunami. (from Tsunamis in lakes)
Image 19A seawall at Tsu, Mie Prefecture in Japan
Image 20One of the deep water buoys used in the DART tsunami warning system (from Tsunami)
Image 21The wave further slows and amplifies as it hits land. Only the largest waves crest. (from Tsunami)
Image 22Plate slips, causing subsidence and releasing energy into water. (from Tsunami)

Selected tsunami article

On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2–9.3 struck with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The undersea megathrust earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, was caused by a rupture along the fault between the Burma Plate and the Indian Plate, and reached a Mercalli intensity up to IX in some areas. (Full article...)

Selected tsunami articles

In the news

3 April 2024 – 2024 Hualien earthquake: A magnitude 7.4 earthquake strikes off the coast of Taiwan, prompting tsunami warnings for Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. A large section of the uninhabited Guishan Island collapses into the ocean. Nine people are killed in Taiwan, including four by rockfalls, with more than 930 others injured. (AP) (Al Jazeera)