PROJECT REPORT

ON
“TSUNAMI”
Submintted To
MAHARSHI DAYANAND UNIVERSITY, ROHTAK
In partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of degree of

BCA 2ND SEMESTER

SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY:
DR. NEERAJ SINGH JASARAT
BCA 2ND SEM
ROLL NO. 1525110183
UNIVERSITY ROLL NO.

M.D.UNIVERSITY (ROHTAK)
DAV CENTENARY COLLEGE
NH-3 , NIT , FARIDABAD
 CONTENT

1. Tsunami
2. Generation of tsunami
3. Types of tsunami
4. Causes of tsunami
5. Characteristics
6. Tsunami warning system
7. Seismograph
8. How to prevent us from tsunami
9. Drawback
10. Facts about tsunami
11. History of tsunami
 TSUNAMI
 What is tsunami?
A tsunami or tidal wave, also known as a seismic sea
wave, is a series of waves in a water body caused by the
displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean
or a large lake is known as tsunami.

tsunami is a series of fast moving waves in the ocean caused

by powerful earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. A tsunami has a
very long wavelength. It can be hundreds of kilometers long.
Usually, a tsunami starts suddenly. The waves travel at a great
speed across an ocean with little energy loss. They can remove
sand from beaches, destroy trees, toss and drag vehicles,
houses and even destroy whole towns. Tsunamis can even be
by caused meteorite strikes, though it is very rare.

tsunamis cannot be prevented. However, there are ways to

help stop people dying from a tsunami. International and
regional warning systems, especially for the Pacific Ocean,
issue alerts before the big waves reach the shore. Because an
earthquake that caused the tsunami can be felt before the wave
gets to the shore, people can be warned to go somewhere
safe.
Tsunamis are often called tidal waves because they usually rise
and fall more slowly than ordinary ocean surface waves. This
name is misleading, because tsunamis are not related to tides;
they merely rise slowly like tides do, though less slowly.
 TYPES OF TSUNAMIS

 Local Tsunami
A local tsunami is a tsunami that causes damage in relatively
close proximity to the tsunami-causing event. Specifically, the
underwater event -- usually an earthquake -- that produces a
local tsunami happens within 100 km, which is a little over 60
miles, of the land damage that results.This does not provide
sufficient time for comprehensive evacuations.

 Regional Tsunami
A regional tsunami is one that causes damage from 100 km to
1,000 km from the underwater event that causes the tsunami.
Regional tsunamis provide slightly more warning time than local
tsunamis, making landfall between one and three hours of the
event that causes them. Within the 1,000 km area, just one to
three hours may not provide enough time for people to
evacuate safely.

 Distant Tsunami
A distant tsunami, also called a tele-tsunami or ocean-wide
tsunami -- originates with an exceptionally powerful and
destructive event more than 1,000 km away from landfall.
Though a distant tsunami may first appear like a local tsunami,
it travels across wide swathes of ocean basin. but it also covers
a larger mass of land and tends to cause extensive and
widespread destruction.
 CAUSES OF TSUNAMI

 EARTHQUAKE
The majority of recorded tsunamis caused by powerful
earthquakes on the ocean floor are results of tectonic plate
movements. When these plates move past each other
suddenly, it causes an earthquake that, in turn, makes the
overlying water to move.

Simply put, a tsunami of this nature is like the effect of an

earthquake on the land surface. This means, when the plates
(rocks) break or slide past each other at the fault lines
underneath the ocean, the shock waves that results because of
the earth’s store energy escapes through the earth’s crust
below the seas.

As a result, the vast amounts of seismic energy released in the

form of an earthquake under the sea suddenly push up the
ocean floor. This abruptly displaces a vast amount of ocean
water, dispersing outward in all directions from the epicenter of
the earthquake.

The damages from a tsunami are commonly worst in areas

most adjacent to the undersea earthquake, primarily and with
powerful strength. At times, the strength of earthquake waves
in the middle of the seas recedes because of the expanse of
the Pacific.
(Tsunami from earthquake)
  VOLCANIC ACTIVITIES

Volcanic activity can significantly cause tsunamis, but it is less

common. As magma rises to the crust during a volcanic
eruption, it causes disturbance which can displace water bodies
when the volcanic activity is adjacent to ocean waters or if it
occurs from the bottom of the ocean.

Volcanic activity can as well create fault lines or set off

underground disturbances that can instigate the sudden ripping
or fall of the tectonic plates under water, thus, releasing the
pent-up pressure which disperses outwards in all directions.
The tsunamis set off by volcanic activity can be summarized in
the following ways:

 Destructible collapse of island, underwater, and coastal

volcanoes which cause enormous landslides that
displace the ocean water
 Collapse of caldera volcano after an eruption that
causes the overlying water to drop abruptly
 The pyroclastic flows – the dense slurry mixture of
pumice, ash, gas and hot blocks that drops down the
volcanic slopes into ocean waters, thus, displacing the
water outwards


(Volcanic activities cause tsunami)

  LANDSLIDE
If you are somewhere very flat with no hills as far as you
can see and it's not raining, then you're probably safe
from landslides. If, on the other hand, it's pouring rain
and you're on a bare cliff overlooking the ocean in
California, you might want to back away. That's because
there are a few landslide hazards in your midst.

A landslide happens when rocks, debris, and soil move

down a slope. They're also known as landslips. Things
can go downhill suddenly, or they can slide at the snail's
pace of just a couple centimeters a year. They can come
from natural causes or from the activities of people. The
one thing they all have in common is gravity. What is up
sometimes slides down.

You can think of the different types of landslide material

like the different types of ice cream. Some is smooth
and soft, some is smooth but thicker and doesn't flow as
well, and some has chunks like nutty boulders and fruity
vegetation. As you might imagine, all these
consistencies would move differently.
(tsunami from landslide)
  LARGE METEORITES OR NUCLEAR
EXPLOSIONS
Seismic waves (wave shocks), underwater disturbances and
ocean water displacement that lead to tsunamis can be
generated by nuclear explosions or large meteorite strikes.
Nonetheless, tsunami events associated with large meteor
strikes or nuclear explosions are very rare.

(Large meteorites)

(Nuclear explosion)
TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM

A tsunami warning system (TWS) is used to detect tsunamis in

advance and issue warnings to prevent loss of life and damage.
It is made up of two equally important components: a network
of sensors to detect tsunamis and a communications
infrastructure to issue timely alarms to permit evacuation of the
coastal areas. There are two distinct types of tsunami warning
systems: international and regional. When operating, seismic
alerts are used to instigate the watches and warnings; then,
data from observed sea level height (either shore-based tide
gauges or DART buoys) are used to verify the existence of a
tsunami. Other systems have been proposed to augment the
warning procedures; for example, it has been suggested that
the duration and frequency content of t-wave energy (which is
earthquake energy trapped in the ocean SOFAR channel) is
indicative of an earthquake's tsunami potential

(Tsunami warning system)

 SEISMOGRAPH
A seismograph, or seismometer, is an instrument used to
detect and record seismic waves. Seismic waves are
propagating vibrations that carry energy from the source of an
earthquake outward in all directions. They travel through the
interior of the Earth and can be measured with sensitive
detectors called seismographs. Scientists have seismographs
set up all over the world to track the movement of the Earth's
crust.

Seismic waves are divided into two types: body waves and
surface waves

(seismograph)
 HOW TO PREVENT US FROM
TSUNAMI

Tsunamis are large ocean waves generated by major

earthquakes beneath the ocean floor or major landslides
into the ocean. Rising to several feet or higher, they can
strike the coast with devastating force. People on
beaches or in low coastal areas, such as estuaries and
rivers, need to be aware that a tsunami could arrive
within minutes of a severe earthquake – and the danger
period can continue for many hours. Tsunamis can
occur any time of year, day or night.

TOP TIPS:-

 escape a tsunami, go as high and as far as you can –

ideally to a spot 100 feet above sea level or 2 miles
away.
 Every foot inland or upward may make a difference!
 If you can see the wave, you are too close for safety.
 Avoid building or living in buildings within several
hundred feet of the coastline.
 Make a list of items to bring inside in the event of a
tsunami.
 Elevate coastal homes. ...
 Follow flood preparedness precautions.
 CHARACTERISTICS

Tsunamis cause damage by two mechanisms: the smashing

force of a wall of water travelling at high speed, and the
destructive power of a large volume of water draining off the
land and carrying a large amount of debris with it, even with
waves that do not appear to be large.

While everyday wind waves have a wavelength (from crest to

crest) of about 100 metres (330 ft) and a height of roughly 2
metres (6.6 ft), a tsunami in the deep ocean has a much larger
wavelength of up to 200 kilometres (120 mi). Such a wave
travels at well over 800 kilometres per hour (500 mph), but
owing to the enormous wavelength the wave oscillation at any
given point takes 20 or 30 minutes to complete a cycle and has
an amplitude of only about 1 metre (3.3 ft).[35] This makes
tsunamis difficult to detect over deep water, where ships are
unable to feel their passage.

The velocity of a tsunami can be calculated by obtaining the

square root of the depth of the water in metres multiplied by the
acceleration due to gravity (approximated to 10 m/s2). For
example, if the Pacific Ocean is considered to have a depth of
5000 metres, the velocity of a tsunami would be the square root
of √(5000 × 10) = √50000 = ~224 metres per second (735 feet
per second), which equates to a speed of ~806 kilometres per
hour or about 500 miles per hour. This is the formula used for
calculating the velocity of shallow-water waves. Even the deep
ocean is shallow in this sense, because a tsunami wave is so
long (horizontally from crest to crest) by comparison.
 DRAWBACK

All waves have a positive and negative peak; that is, a

ridge and a trough. In the case of a propagating wave
like a tsunami, either may be the first to arrive. If the first
part to arrive at shore is the ridge, a massive breaking
wave or sudden flooding will be the first effect noticed on
land. However, if the first part to arrive is a trough, a
drawback will occur as the shoreline recedes
dramatically, exposing normally submerged areas.
Drawback can exceed hundreds of metres, and people
unaware of the danger sometimes remain near the
shore to satisfy their curiosity or to collect fish from the
exposed seabed.

A typical wave period for a damaging tsunami is about

twelve minutes. Thus, the sea recedes in the drawback
phase, with areas well below sea level exposed after
three minutes. For the next six minutes, the wave trough
builds into a ridge which may flood the coast, and
destruction ensues. During the next six minutes, the
wave changes from a ridge to a trough, and the flood
waters recede in a second drawback. Victims and debris
may be swept into the ocean. The process repeats with
succeeding waves.
 FACTS ABOUT TSUNAMI

Fact 1: An underwater earthquake, a volcano eruption or a

landslide mostly causes a tsunami.

Fact 2: Only on very few occasions a tsunami is cause by a

giant meteor in the ocean.

Fact 3: Tsunami waves can be as huge as 100 feet.

Fact 4: About 80% of the tsunamis occur in the Pacific

Ocean’s Ring of Fire.

Fact 5: Tsunami is also commonly known as killer waves.

Fact 6: The tsunami that occurred in December 2004 in the

Indian Ocean is known to be the most powerful earthquake
that has occurred till date.

Fact 7: The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 had an an epicenter

of 9.0 magnitude and it killed over 216000 people in 14
countries.

Fact 8: The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 hit 11 countries

from Thailand to Africa.
Fact 9: Tsunamis are the most common in Japan, and off-late
they have spreading across many other countries.

Fact 10: The length of a tsunami as long as 100 kilometers

and the distances of continually occurring tsunami can be as
far as 1 hour.

Fact 11: Scientists believe that in the year 1700, a tsunami of

magnitude 9 occurred in the Pacific Ocean in the northwest and
caused massive flooding and damage in Japan.

Fact 12: Tsunamis can travel as fast as 5000 miles per hour,
without being noticed and can cross the entire ocean in less
than a day.

Fact 13: A Tsunami can be even less than 30 centimeters in

height an can pass of unnoticed.

Fact 14: Tsunami waves get stronger as they succeed and not
usually the first hit is that impactful as the succeeding ones.

Fact 15: Tsunamis can travel up to the speed of 500- 800

kilometers per hour.
HISTORY OF TSUNAMI

The word "tsunami" is originally a Japanese word, but today it's

commonly used in English. And it's been all over the news
since a powerful earthquake sent a wall of water into
northeastern Japan on March 11.

The first English use of the word happened more than 100
years ago, says linguist Ben Zimmer, of the Visual Thesaurus.
That's when an earthquake struck off the east coast of Japan,
very close to where the recent tsunami hit.

"There was reporting in the National Geographic Magazine, and

it said, 'On the evening of June 15, 1896, the northeast coast of
Hondo, the main island of Japan, was struck by a great
earthquake wave,' " Zimmer says, "and then it explained that
the Japanese term for this was 'tsunami.' "

(northeastern Japan on March 11)

1. Sumatra, Indonesia - 26 December 2004

The 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra was

estimated to occur at a depth of 30 km. The fault zone that
caused the tsunami was roughly 1300 km long, vertically
displacing the sea floor by several metres along that length.
The ensuing tsunami was as tall as 50 m, reaching 5 km inland
near Meubolah, Sumatra. This tsunami is also the most widely
recorded, with nearly one thousand combined tide gauge and
eyewitness measurements from around the world reporting a
rise in wave height, including places in the US, the UK and
Antarctica. An estimated US$10b of damages is attributed to
the disaster, with around 230,000 people reported dead.

(Sumatra, Indonesia - 26 December 2004)

2. North Pacific Coast, Japan - 11 March 2011

A powerful tsunami travelling 800km per hour with 10m-high

waves swept over the east coast of Japan, killing more than
18,000 people. The tsunami was spawned by an 9.0 magnitude
earthquake that reached depths of 24.4km- making it the
fourth-largest earthquake ever recorded. Approximately
452,000 people were relocated to shelters, and still remain
displaced from their destroyed homes. The violent shaking
resulted in a nuclear emergency, in which the Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear power plant began leaking radioactive steam.
The World Bank estimates that it could take Japan up to five
years to financially overcome the $235 billion damages.

(North Pacific Coast, Japan - 11 March 2011)