NOAA Tsunami Worksheet
Marine Science
NOVA: Wave That Shook the World
1: What is a tsunami?
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water. (A.K.A, a HUGE Wave!)
2: When did this tsunami happen? (date)
Christmas Day, 2004.
3: How many people died, in how many countries?
There were over almost 280,000 casualties in 11 countries.
4: What is the name of the warning center in Hawaii?
The PTWC, or the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
5: An area where one tectonic plate is pushing under another is called?
A Subduction Zone
6: What magnitude was this earthquake? What is a seismograph?
This earthquake was about a magnitude 9.
Each unit in magnitude is a factor of 36 of radiant energy of an earthquake.
Earthquake scientists get paged when an earthquake of a factor of 6 or larger
occurs.
7: How do tsunami sensor buoys work? Explain.
They monitor the depth of the water above them.
How many warning sensors/buoys are there in the Pacific?
In the Indian Ocean?
Pacific: 32 buoys
Indian Ocean: 000000000!
8: This earthquake was shallow. How many kilometers deep was it?
It was 30 kilometers deep.
9: What is “tsunami initiation”? Explain.
It is the displacement of a large amount of water by moving crust, sometimes starting a tsunami.
10. If the waves on the beach suddenly suck out and expose the ocean floor for a large
distance out, WHY should you not run out to check it out? What should you do
instead?
You should not check it out because is shows that a tsunami is coming shortly. You should RUN!!
11: How fast does the tsunami wave travel? Why is this different than a “surfer’s wave”?
Tsunamis usually travel at 1,000 kilometers per hour.
12: What does a boat in the open ocean feel during a tsunami wave?
Almost nothing, the tsunami is passing under them.
13: What warning sign often occurs at the beach during a tsunami? What is
Amplification?
Before a tsunami reaches the shore, the water recedes, almost a mile!
Amplification is when the back of the wave is traveling faster than the front.
14: Is there usually only one wave in a tsunami?
Is there a pattern to the waves? Explain.
No. There are usually mulitiple waves in a tsunami, with no pattern.
15: Where is greater damage likely, on a gently sloping beach or a steeply sloping beach?
Explain why.
There is more damage likely on a sloping beach, becasue the steep beach will make the wave lose a lot of energy.
16: True or false, you are safe as the tsunami wave is passing back out?
FALSE!
17: How did the quake affect the earth’s day?
The quake made the earth's day shorter and made the earth wobble in it's orbit.
18: What area of the United States is at risk for the same type of earthquake?
Hawaii.
19: What are the four causes of a tsunami?
How many people on Earth are at risk of a tsunami?
20: What is happening in the Cascadia Subduction Zone? What could happen?
It is a zone similar to the Sumatran zone with plates that could snap like the ones there.
21: What is being done to help prepare for future tsunamis?
Buoys are being added, and warning systems are becoming more accurate.
22: How many more buoys did the United States add to the Pacific Warning system?
What else is part of the Tsunami warning system?
39 buoys have been added.
Also, they have new seismic sensors for detecting possible tsunami-starting quakes.
NOVA: Wave That Shook the World
1: What is a tsunami?
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water. (A.K.A, a HUGE Wave!)
2: When did this tsunami happen? (date)
Christmas Day, 2004.
3: How many people died, in how many countries?
There were over almost 280,000 casualties in 11 countries.
4: What is the name of the warning center in Hawaii?
The PTWC, or the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
5: An area where one tectonic plate is pushing under another is called?
A Subduction Zone
6: What magnitude was this earthquake? What is a seismograph?
This earthquake was about a magnitude 9.
Each unit in magnitude is a factor of 36 of radiant energy of an earthquake.
Earthquake scientists get paged when an earthquake of a factor of 6 or larger
occurs.
7: How do tsunami sensor buoys work? Explain.
They monitor the depth of the water above them.
How many warning sensors/buoys are there in the Pacific?
In the Indian Ocean?
Pacific: 32 buoys
Indian Ocean: 000000000!
8: This earthquake was shallow. How many kilometers deep was it?
It was 30 kilometers deep.
9: What is “tsunami initiation”? Explain.
It is the displacement of a large amount of water by moving crust, sometimes starting a tsunami.
10. If the waves on the beach suddenly suck out and expose the ocean floor for a large
distance out, WHY should you not run out to check it out? What should you do
instead?
You should not check it out because is shows that a tsunami is coming shortly. You should RUN!!
11: How fast does the tsunami wave travel? Why is this different than a “surfer’s wave”?
Tsunamis usually travel at 1,000 kilometers per hour.
12: What does a boat in the open ocean feel during a tsunami wave?
Almost nothing, the tsunami is passing under them.
13: What warning sign often occurs at the beach during a tsunami? What is
Amplification?
Before a tsunami reaches the shore, the water recedes, almost a mile!
Amplification is when the back of the wave is traveling faster than the front.
14: Is there usually only one wave in a tsunami?
Is there a pattern to the waves? Explain.
No. There are usually mulitiple waves in a tsunami, with no pattern.
15: Where is greater damage likely, on a gently sloping beach or a steeply sloping beach?
Explain why.
There is more damage likely on a sloping beach, becasue the steep beach will make the wave lose a lot of energy.
16: True or false, you are safe as the tsunami wave is passing back out?
FALSE!
17: How did the quake affect the earth’s day?
The quake made the earth's day shorter and made the earth wobble in it's orbit.
18: What area of the United States is at risk for the same type of earthquake?
Hawaii.
19: What are the four causes of a tsunami?
How many people on Earth are at risk of a tsunami?
- Volcanoes
- Earthquakes
- Meteorites
- Landslides
20: What is happening in the Cascadia Subduction Zone? What could happen?
It is a zone similar to the Sumatran zone with plates that could snap like the ones there.
21: What is being done to help prepare for future tsunamis?
Buoys are being added, and warning systems are becoming more accurate.
22: How many more buoys did the United States add to the Pacific Warning system?
What else is part of the Tsunami warning system?
39 buoys have been added.
Also, they have new seismic sensors for detecting possible tsunami-starting quakes.