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

The National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) is one of two tsunami warning centers in the United States, covering all coastal regions of the United States and Canada, except Hawaii, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Until 2013, it was known as the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center. ( Full article...)

List of selected articles

Events that can cause a tsunami

In seismology, a tsunami earthquake is an earthquake which triggers a tsunami of significantly greater magnitude, as measured by shorter-period seismic waves. The term was introduced by Japanese seismologist Hiroo Kanamori in 1972. Such events are a result of relatively slow rupture velocities. They are particularly dangerous as a large tsunami may arrive at a coastline with little or no warning. ( Full article...)

List of events articles
Earthquake Submarine earthquake Submarine eruption Landslide Glacier calving Meteorite impact

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General images

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

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

Selected tsunami article

The village of Petobo after the earthquake.

On 28 September 2018, a shallow, large earthquake struck in the neck of the Minahasa Peninsula, Indonesia, with its epicentre located in the mountainous Donggala Regency, Central Sulawesi. The magnitude 7.5 quake was located 70 km (43 mi) away from the provincial capital Palu and was felt as far away as Samarinda on East Kalimantan and also in Tawau, Malaysia. This event was preceded by a sequence of foreshocks, the largest of which was a magnitude 6.1 tremor that occurred earlier that day. ( 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)