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 World Cricket Tsunami Appeal was an effort by the International Cricket Council to raise funds to support the humanitarian relief efforts following the Indian Ocean tsunami of 26 December 2004. It was scheduled to be held over two games but was reduced to one due to an over-crowded international playing schedule and concerns for players' health playing in the April heat in Kolkata. The match was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 10 January 2005. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Events that can cause a tsunami

A submarine, undersea, or underwater earthquake is an earthquake that occurs underwater at the bottom of a body of water, especially an ocean. They are the leading cause of tsunamis. The magnitude can be measured scientifically by the use of the moment magnitude scale and the intensity can be assigned using the Mercalli intensity scale. (Full article...)

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

Selected tsunami article

A helicopter flies over the port of Sendai to deliver food to survivors of the earthquake and tsunami.

On 11 March 2011, at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, 72 km (45 mi) east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approximately six minutes, causing a tsunami. It is sometimes known in Japan as the "Great East Japan Earthquake" (東日本大震災, Higashi nihon daishinsai), among other names. The disaster is often referred to by its numerical date, 3.11 (read san ten ichi-ichi in Japanese). (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)