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 NOAA Center for Tsunami Research (NCTR), located at the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) in Seattle, Washington, performs research in support of tsunami forecast models to increase the speed and accuracy of operational forecasts and warnings, tsunami inundation models to predict tsunami impacts on coastal communities, and tsunami measurement/detection technology for optimally designed networks of tsunami buoys. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Events that can cause a tsunami

Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environments, characterized by either steep or gentle slope gradients, from mountain ranges to coastal cliffs or even underwater, in which case they are called submarine landslides. (Full article...)

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

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General images

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

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

Selected tsunami article

The 1771 Great Yaeyama Tsunami (also called 明和の大津波, the Great Tsunami of Meiwa) was caused by the Yaeyama Great Earthquake at about 8 A.M. on April 24, 1771, south-southeast of Ishigaki Island, part of the former Ryūkyū Kingdom and now part of present-day Okinawa, Japan. According to records, 8,439 people were killed on Ishigaki Island and 2,548 on Miyako Island. (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)