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Earth Science for Kids

Tsunamis

1. Once the water is moved by an earthquake or other event, large waves like ripples spread out from the point where the water first moved.
2. These waves can move quickly and for very long distances. Some tsunamis have been known to travel for thousands of miles across the ocean and travel at speeds of up to 500 miles per hour.
3. As the waves travel through the deep parts of the ocean, their crest is usually short, only a few feet tall. This makes it difficult to detect a tsunami as they are not necessarily visible in the deep ocean.
4. When the waves approach land and shallow water, they pile up and grow in height.
5. At the coastline, a trough of the wave may appear. This will cause drawback to occur on the shoreline. The water may recede for some distance. This can be dangerous as people may be tempted to walk out into the open area.
6. When the wave arrives on the shore, it will usually be a tall wall of water. The water will rush inland, sometimes for some distance and with great speed and power. The height of the tsunami wave will depend on the topography of the shoreline. Some tsunamis have been known to reach heights of 100 feet.
7. More waves may arrive. The time period between waves may be several minutes.

• Although tsunamis are sometimes called tidal waves they have nothing to do with the ocean's tides.
• The series of waves generated by a tsunami is called a wave train.
• The first wave of a tsunami may not be the biggest. There may be bigger and stronger waves to come.
• The word "tsunami" means "harbor wave" in Japanese.
• The warning system in the Pacific Ocean is called the DART system which stands for Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis.

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