A powerful 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula recently, triggering tsunami warnings across the northern Pacific, including Alaska, Hawaii, and down to New Zealand.
About Tsunami:
A tsunami is a series of waves generated by a large and sudden displacement of the ocean.
Tsunamis can have devastating and wide-ranging effects, especially in coastal regions.
The word tsunami is composed of the Japanese words "tsu" (which means harbor) and "nami" (which means "wave").
Large earthquakes below or near the ocean floor are the most common cause (about 80% of all known tsunamis are triggered by earthquakes), but landslides, volcanic activity, certain types of weather, and meteorites can also cause tsunamis.
Not all earthquakes cause tsunamis; they must be strong and shallow (at least 6.5 magnitude and less than 70 km from the Earth’s surface), and move the seafloor vertically.
Tsunamis radiate outward in all directions from their source and can move across entire ocean basins, around islands, and into bays, sounds, and up rivers.
Out in the depths of the ocean, tsunami waves do not dramatically increase in height.
But as the waves travel inland, they build up to higher and higher heights as the depth of the ocean decreases.
The speed of tsunami waves depends on ocean depth rather than the distance from the source of the wave.
Tsunami waves may travel as fast as jet planes over deep waters, only slowing down when reaching shallow waters.
Tsunamis can have heights of up to 30 m (98 ft) and reach speeds of 950 km per hour.
It is hard to see that a tsunami is approaching. The most obvious sign is when coastal water retreats just before the waves reach the shore. This is actually the trough of the wave following behind.
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