TSUNAMIS AND HOW THEY HAPPEN
Tsunami (pronounced
soo-nahm-ee) is a series of huge waves that happen after an
undersea disturbance, such as an earhquake or volcano
eruption. (Tsunami is
from the Japanese word for harbor wave.)
The waves travel in all
directions from the area of disturbance, much like the
ripples that happen after throwing a rock in the
water. The waves travel
as fast as 450 miles per hour. As the huge waves approach the shallow
water along the coast thay grow to a astonishing height and
then smash with rage into the shore. They can reach a hieght of up to 100
feet. They are
sometimes called tidal waves but tsunamis have nothing at
all to do with the tides.