2010_Finals

Tsunamis A tsunami is a great volume of water which creates a humongous wave. This wave is generally caused by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions landslides and other mass movements. They cannot be felt aboard ships nor can they be seen from the air in the open ocean. In deep water, the waves may reach speeds exceeding 500 miles per hour Drawing of tectonic plate boundary before earthquake. | Overriding plate bulges under strain, causing tectonic uplift. | Plate slips, causing subsidence and releasing energy into water. | The energy released produces tsunami waves. | Signs that a tsunami is approaching * if an earthquake takes place near a body of water, it means that a tsunami will follow in a short time * if the water along the shoreline recedes severely and shows unnatural sea animals shoring, it often shows a sign that a tsunami will occur within a few seconds * some large animals like elephants hear the noise of the tsunami and move in the opposite direction towards inland * computer models can also foresee tsunami arrival and impact depending upon knowledge of the event that caused it and the shape of the oceanbed * there is a loud roar similar to a train or aircraft At the deepest point in the ocean, Tsunamis can have a speed of 600 mph. Close to the shore, this speed reduces to 30 to 40 mph. This energy of the wave's speed is transformed to increased height and sheer force. These waves can be as long as 100 kilometers and one hour apart. They can cross huge oceans without much loss of energy. Tsunamis can take place at any time in night or day. They can move up the rivers and streams that end up in the ocean. Tsunamis move faster than a human being. Our project: In our project we depict the two phases of a tsunami- the still waters and the gigantic wave. We will show how the underwater activity takes place and causes the tsunami. Phase 1- The still waters and the underwater activity. Phase 2- The tsunami wave builds up and crashes on the shoreline.