Tsunami
Tsunami
EENS 3050 Tulane University
Natural Disasters Prof. Stephen A. Nelson
Tsunami
This page last updated on 02-Jul-2012
Up until December of 2004, the phenomena of tsunami was not on the minds of most of the world's population. That changed on the morning of December 24, 2004 when an earthquake of moment magnitude 9.1 occurred along the oceanic trench off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. This large earthquake resulted in vertical displacement of the sea floor and generated a tsunami that eventually killed about 230,000 people and affected the lives of several million people. Although people living on the coastline near the epicenter of the earthquake had little time or warning of the approaching tsunami, those living farther away along the coasts of Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, and East Africa had plenty of time to move higher ground to escape. But, there was no tsunami warning system in place in the Indian Ocean, and although other tsunami warning centers attempted to provide a warning, there was no effective communication system in place. Unfortunately, it has taken a disaster of great magnitude to point out the failings of the world's scientific community and to educate almost every person on the planet about tsunami. Even with heightened world awareness of tsunami, disasters still occur. On September 29, 2009, earthquakes in the Samoa region of the southwest Pacific Ocean killed nearly 200 people, and as a result of the Chilean earthquake of February, 2010, at least 50 casualties resulted from a tsunami triggered by a moment magnitude 8.8 earthquake. On March 11, 2011 a Moment Magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off the northern Coast of Japan. The Earthquake generated a tsunami that rose up to 135 feet above sea level and killed over 20,000 people. Because of Japan’s familiarity with earthquakes and enforcement of earthquake resistant building codes, there was only minor destruction from the earthquake itself. But, despite that fact that a tsunami warning
EENS 3050 Tulane University
Natural Disasters Prof. Stephen A. Nelson
Tsunami
This page last updated on 02-Jul-2012
Up until December of 2004, the phenomena of tsunami was not on the minds of most of the world's population. That changed on the morning of December 24, 2004 when an earthquake of moment magnitude 9.1 occurred along the oceanic trench off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. This large earthquake resulted in vertical displacement of the sea floor and generated a tsunami that eventually killed about 230,000 people and affected the lives of several million people. Although people living on the coastline near the epicenter of the earthquake had little time or warning of the approaching tsunami, those living farther away along the coasts of Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, and East Africa had plenty of time to move higher ground to escape. But, there was no tsunami warning system in place in the Indian Ocean, and although other tsunami warning centers attempted to provide a warning, there was no effective communication system in place. Unfortunately, it has taken a disaster of great magnitude to point out the failings of the world's scientific community and to educate almost every person on the planet about tsunami. Even with heightened world awareness of tsunami, disasters still occur. On September 29, 2009, earthquakes in the Samoa region of the southwest Pacific Ocean killed nearly 200 people, and as a result of the Chilean earthquake of February, 2010, at least 50 casualties resulted from a tsunami triggered by a moment magnitude 8.8 earthquake. On March 11, 2011 a Moment Magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck off the northern Coast of Japan. The Earthquake generated a tsunami that rose up to 135 feet above sea level and killed over 20,000 people. Because of Japan’s familiarity with earthquakes and enforcement of earthquake resistant building codes, there was only minor destruction from the earthquake itself. But, despite that fact that a tsunami warning