The Causes of Tsunami essays

The Causes of Tsunami essays As the earth begins to tremble many fear the troubles ahead. Waves are suddenly being formed and the people of the west coast are immediately alerted. What could this be? This is a tsunami, an earthquake that is formed underwater. The sea floor abruptly deforms and displaces the overlying water from its equilibrium position. Waves are formed when the displaced water mass, acting under the influence of gravity, attempts to regain its equilibrium. The main factor that determines the initial size of a tsunami is the amount of vertical sea floor deformation. A tsunami can also be generating from submarine landslides. During a submarine landslide, the equilibrium sea level is altered by sediment moving along the sea floor. The aftermath of this horrendous storm is shocking. The causes of tsunamis derive from earthquakes, landslides, or volcanic eruptions, which can cause a high death and/or injury rate. A tsunami that is caused by an undersea earthquake is also called a seismic sea wave. Scientists can calculate where and when a given undersea earthquake occurred and predict when the resulting seismic sea wave will reach shore. The scientists base their calculations on data provided by instruments called seismographs. These instruments detect vibrations called seismic waves that the earthquake sends through the rock beneath the ground (Phillip). An earthquake on land differs greatly than one underwater. The fact that there is water involved makes the situation even more tedious to handle. To detect an earthquake underwater is sometime impossible, the wave may come without any warning the wave may cause more death and damage than ground shaking. In addition to earthquakes similar ground shaker plays a key part in the causes of tsunamis. Landslides are a descent of mass of earth and rock down a mountain slope. Landslides may occur when water from rain and melting snow sinks through the earth on top of a slope...