What exactly are tsunamis? Tsunamis are immensely strong, long length and long period
sea waves. Tsunamis have caused much grief and sorrow for anyone who have experienced
it. The term tsunami comes from the Japanese language meaning harbor and wave. The
term was created by fishermen who returned to port to find the area surrounding their
harbor devastated, although they had not been aware of any wave in the open water.
Tsunamis are common throughout Japanese history, as 195 events in Japan have been
recorded. The strength of a tsunami is absolutely frightening; a tsunami can completely
destroy a city within minutes. The Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004 was one of the deadliest
tsunamis ever recorded and destroyed many cities. Tsunamis are behaves differently in
shallow and deep water. In deep ocean water, tsunami waves form only small humps and
are barely noticeable and harmless. In shallow water a tsunami slows down to ten miles
per hour but in doing so, it forms large destructive waves. Tsunamis can occur in a number
of different ways and the after-effects is can also vary. The more devastating effects is land
destruction and the negative impact to peoples lives. Tsunamis are forces of nature that
cause death and destruction in many areas in the world.
There are many different ways that tsunamis can form. One of them is by underwater
earthquakes and underwater landslides. There are two kinds of underwater earthquakes,
tectonic and subduction. When tectonic earthquakes occur, the seafloor becomes deformed,
forcing displacement of water thus causing tsunamis. The other earthquake, subduction
earthquakes act very differently. Tectonic plates slip under each other, creating a massive
disturbance in the water and the land under it and also forces displacement of water.
Another way, which tsunamis can occur, is an underwater landslide. Sometimes rocks,
sediments and other debris falls all at once causing a huge disturbance and causing
tsunamis. Under water explosives, nuclear weapon testing, bombs and meteors can all
cause tsunamis as well. First, think when you throw a rock into the water it creates little
ripples. When a huge object falls, like bombs or meteors and impacts the ocean water those
ripples becomes huge and destructive tsunamis. Nuclear weapon testing uses toxic and
un-familiar material and when in use, causes underwater explosions and disturbances.
Lastly, volcanic eruptions cause tsunamis as well. When a volcano erupts underwater the
irregular movement and the shaking creates tsunamis. It also displaces large water masses
