Tsunamis http://www.ema.gov.au/www/ema/schools.nsf/Page/Get_The_FactsTsunami workshop Tsunami - get the facts. - Atunom ismostoten tiated by undescscachaate:tot EEE my cause massive changes to the ocean floor. Tsunami can also be caused by seismic events, landslides, or even asteroid impacts. What causes a tsunami? When an undersea earthquake or other major disturbance causes a section of the ocean floor to suddenly rise or sink, the mass of water above the affected area also rises or sinks. This unexpected movement of the water creates a series of powerful waves. A tsunami can really move! In the deep water of the ocean, the waves that are created have a large wavelength but are not usually bigger than one metre tall. A tsunami wave may be hundreds of kilometres in length and it moves at a high speed across great distances without losing much of its energy. Tsunami waves move out from where a large body of water has been disturbed, similar to the way ripples move away from the place where a rock has been dropped into a pond, In the open ocean, a tsunami can travel as fast as 950 kilometres per hour, which can be represented by the speed of a passenger jet. It loses speed as it approaches land, but it does not lose much of its energy. As it slows down, the height of the waves build. How big is a tsunami? ‘As a tsunami wave approaches land and moves into more shallow water, it slows down and increases in size. When it reaches land, it may behave like a series of breaking waves or a large, powerful wave. The tremendous energy of the wave can cause great quantities of water to surge inland, far beyond where even the highest of high tides would commonly reach. ‘Some of the largest tsunami waves were generated by the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883. This tsunami reached a height of 37 metres. In 1737, a tsunami was estimated to be 64 metres high as it struck Cape Lopatka in northeast Russia. Tsunami waves are different from normal waves. When a tsunami wave reaches the shore, its wavelength might be more than 100 kilometres. Tsunami can last for several hours or even days depending on location. This is much different to the waves that we are used to seeing at the beach. Typical ocean waves usually last for less than a minute and have a wavelength of 100 metres. March 2011. Kindly contributed by Nikki Gibey, Highoury College. Search for Nikki on skilsworkshop og Page 1 of 6 Level 1 Aduit Literacy. Also ideal for uncerpinning Functional Skils Engish Level 1 See page fr details For elated resources and futher curiculum Inks vst the resource description page at ww sklleworkshop org