Geology Research Paper
Geology 101
Research Paper
Earthquakes & Tsunamis
The Earth is 71% oceans. There can be no surprise then that the oceans affects human existence every day. Oceans are a source of economy, leisure, and sustenance. They are also a powerful force to be respected and studied. When the oceans unleash their power and volume in the form of tsunamis the effects are almost always devastating for mankind. These events have changed the course of life on earth more than once. Tsunamis can be triggered by bolide impacts and earthquakes as well as underwater rockslides. Tsunamis have caused mass extinction events, led to significant numbers of human casualties, and produced crippling economic damage. In my lifetime I have witnessed, from afar, the effects of two different tsunamis.
The first of these occurred in the Indian Ocean Tsunami on December 26, 2004. According to the U.S. Geologic Survey, that tsunami was caused by a megathrust earthquake on “on the interface of the India and Burma plates and was cause by the release of stresses that develop as the India plate subducts beneath the overriding Burma plate” (USGS). National Geographic reported that the magnitude 9.0 earthquake generated as much energy as “23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs” (NatGeo). This tectonic event caused tsunami waves that traveled thousands of miles, impacted 11 countries on the Indian Ocean and killed more than 250,000 people. One of the primary contributors to the tsunami death toll was a complete lack of any tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean. In an article written shortly after the tsunami Waverly Person from the U.S. Geology Survey explained that, in addition to the lack of any sort of warning systems was the inexperience of the inhabitants in the affected countries which caused the staggering death toll. The inhabitants had never learned any of the warning signs, like a swiftly receding shoreline, because Indian Ocean tsunamis are very rare. In the years that have
Research Paper
Earthquakes & Tsunamis
The Earth is 71% oceans. There can be no surprise then that the oceans affects human existence every day. Oceans are a source of economy, leisure, and sustenance. They are also a powerful force to be respected and studied. When the oceans unleash their power and volume in the form of tsunamis the effects are almost always devastating for mankind. These events have changed the course of life on earth more than once. Tsunamis can be triggered by bolide impacts and earthquakes as well as underwater rockslides. Tsunamis have caused mass extinction events, led to significant numbers of human casualties, and produced crippling economic damage. In my lifetime I have witnessed, from afar, the effects of two different tsunamis.
The first of these occurred in the Indian Ocean Tsunami on December 26, 2004. According to the U.S. Geologic Survey, that tsunami was caused by a megathrust earthquake on “on the interface of the India and Burma plates and was cause by the release of stresses that develop as the India plate subducts beneath the overriding Burma plate” (USGS). National Geographic reported that the magnitude 9.0 earthquake generated as much energy as “23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs” (NatGeo). This tectonic event caused tsunami waves that traveled thousands of miles, impacted 11 countries on the Indian Ocean and killed more than 250,000 people. One of the primary contributors to the tsunami death toll was a complete lack of any tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean. In an article written shortly after the tsunami Waverly Person from the U.S. Geology Survey explained that, in addition to the lack of any sort of warning systems was the inexperience of the inhabitants in the affected countries which caused the staggering death toll. The inhabitants had never learned any of the warning signs, like a swiftly receding shoreline, because Indian Ocean tsunamis are very rare. In the years that have
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