Tsunamis

   This blog is going to be on tsunamis.  Have you ever wondered why and how a tsunami happens,well I am going to explain.

                                                  This is what a tsunami can look like.
 

  First plate tectonics are related to tsunamis because plate tectonics cause tsunami!  When plates move under water they cause an earthquake, landslide or a under water volcano.  When that happens a sudden burst of energy  is released which causes a tsunami.
   
                                          Here is a diagram on how  a tsunami is formed.

     These waves can get very big and you do not want to be in their path when they come.


     Now I will blog about how a tsunami travels.  A tsunami wave can hold a lot of energy which means it can go very far.  A tsunami wave can go up to 500 miles per hour.  Wow!  That is fast.  A tsunami wave is not like a regular wave just because of it's size but also how it travels.  When it travels it stays under the water.  That is why if you are way out in the ocean you can not feel the wave, but if you were on shore you are in trouble.  When a tsunami wave travels it does not just go in one direction, it goes in a circle from the epicenter.  You know like when you throw a rock into a pond or someone jumps into the water it moves in all directions.

                                                  Here is a picture of a tsunami.

     Next is what happens when it impacts the shore.  When a tsunami wave gets closer to shore it starts to slow down which causes the water to recede from the shore about a few meters.  Then more waves build up and the water just gets so high that it floods the shore and it looks like a wall of water.  There is also another way a tsunami can hit the shore.  It is when the shore slows the water down enough that it comes in as a giant wave depending on the coastline structure.

              This is what it sometimes looks like when a tsunami hits shore.

Click HERE for a video
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Click HERE for some facts on tsunamis
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