Today we discussed tsunamis, which fascinate most students. Tsunamis are
caused by underwater earthquakes and they displace water. Displacement
of water causes a large wave or energy to travel through the water, but
it cannot be seen at the surface until the wave approaches shallow
water. (Confused? Check out the diagram to the left) Because the wave is
not felt in deep water, going out to sea is one option for escaping a
tsunami, getting onto land with higher elevation is another option.
There are places in Japan and Hawaii where fishermen went out to sea in
the morning and when they returned, their villages had been washed away.
We discussed tsunamis and how countries around the globe are teaching
native peoples to recognize the signs of a tsunami and setting buoys to
measure if a tsunami is coming. Students decided that they were glad
they didn't live somewhere where the threat of a tsunami is imminent...
well except if the Canary Islands fall into the sea.
Most
people are aware of the large tsunami that hit Japan last spring and
the damage it caused to their coasts and towns. We discussed the damages
and how powerful a tsunami can be. An interesting assortment of before
and after tsunami pictures from Japan can be
found here.
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