Tsunamis

Select one Natural event (for example Tsunamis) and describe how this event occurs
As the Australian Bureau of Meteorology states: A tsunami is a series of ocean waves with
very long wavelengths (typically hundreds of kilometres) caused by large-scale disturbances
of the ocean, such as:
earthquakes
landslide
volcanic eruptions
explosions
meteorites
(Bom.Gov, 2014)
Tsunamis whilst yes can be caused by under the water events, they can also be influenced
by above water events as well. Tsunamis also have a large wave length varying from 10-
500km depending on the size of the event that causes the water displacement. Tsunamis
act as shallow water waves and as the Australian Bureau of Meteorology states is when the
wave length is very large compared to the water depth. In the deeper parts of the ocean
the water depth is approximately 4000m this means that the wave can therefore move at
200m/s or more that 700km/hr. While tsunamis can move at alarming speeds they can also
travel large distances with very limited energy loss. Once a Tsunami starts to reach land fall,
the depth of the water changes, becoming shallower, this therefore meaning that the
Tsunami whilst still having a large amount of energy has nowhere to go but up. This then
forcing the wave to bunch together and create a taller wave, this taller wave is then what
makes landfall and in many cases floods the main land.
In Conclusion as you can see there are many events that can cause a Tsunami to occur,
however the mechanics of how a tsunami actually forms is quite interesting.