TSUNAMI
The Destructive Power of Waves and Water
What is a tsunami?
Tectonic Plates of Southeast Asia
Photo 1 Tectonic plates are like the shell around the core of the earth. When these giant plates slide against each other and collide, energy is formed and sliding of the plates.
Aftermath
Indonesia after the Tsunami of 2004 Photo 2 On the left is Indonesia preceding the Tsunami that struck the shore. On the right is what was left from the force of the waves.
How a Tsunami Works
Photo 3 Description of how a tsunami forms and moves in the ocean. How and why the waves become tall when the energy reaches the shoreline.
Southeastern Asia
Destruction, Death, and Hope
In 1992 and 1993 over 2,000 people were killed by tsunamis occurring in Nicaragua, Indonesia, and Japan. Due to the location of these three islands on the tectonic plates (photo 1) these Southeastern countries are prone to earthquakes. The most common causes of tsunamis are earthquakes, volcano eruptions, and large meteorite impacts. The tsunami disaster of 2004 prompted a huge worldwide effort to help victims of the tragedy, with hundreds of millions of dollars being raised for disaster relief.
Hawaii, an island southwest of the USA mainland, measures earthquakes and pulses in the earth to get early notifications to the US and other country about the occurring Tsunamis. Hawaii's Islands are a good example of areas located far from most of the sources of tsunamis, where early warning is possible and has saved lives.