Ten things you didn't know about tsunamis.

Some notes:

2/3 world - sea

26th December 2004 , earthquake NW of Sumatra, waves 3 miles inland

40 hours, 225,000 lives, 11 countries

Can happen after a landslide or underwater earthquake

cracks ocean floor, one side of fault is pushed up, displacing water, 

waves are hundreds of miles long at sea, nearer the shore they get steeper (taller)

drawback - water receding from the shore

catastrophic geological happening. 

earthquake was different, sheer cliff was thrust out of the sea bed. 

proof that it was formed recently, saw toothed edge.

second cliff - enormous - 'megathrust' - magnitude 9

cliff hundreds of miles long

tectonic plates, pushing for hundreds of years, pressure, breaking point

fault ruptured, cliff made was 40 feet tall, 450 miles long

500mph tsunami wave

created spectacle, lost temples, visible.

lost 6 below waves (pagodas)

sea retreated 1/2 kilometer in India for several minutes

Chixculub - 65 million years ago, meteor size of San Fransisco

struck earth, wiped out dinosaurs

struck water - gulf of Mexico. Crater 122 miles across

meteor 6 miles wide

700 miles/min fireball

vaporised water, blew hole in ocean. sea rushed into crater, sent out wave as deep as the ocean was

chain of waves, 100 miles inland

largest tsunami ever?

volcano - erupted for days, 25 miles into atmosphere

collapsed.

sea rushed into magma mass, debris fell into the sea, causing tsunami

60 feet into air, dragged back out to sea

Hawaii & Japan - tsunami capitals of the world

Pacific ocean most frequent. 4/5 happen there

Britain - first tabloid coverage was 400 years ago

3 in recorded history

Jan 1607, Bristol, fault line Ireland. at dawn

caused by God - retribution

WW2 tsunami bomb, Australian, Thomas Leech

4000 experiments, all failed

2000 tons of explosives - Tokyo bay - similar

Scientists cancelled any further experimenting

Project Seal

Moses - tsunami. Exodus. 3500 yrs ago

600 chariots, God parted the red sea

drowned men

shallow marsh? coast? volcanic eruption displaced body of water

sucked water in as it filled the void

drawback

water returning, drowned the Pharaohs army.

effects of nature unbelievable

Ten things you didn’t know about. 1/3 (2008) Ten things you didn’t know about tsunamis. London, BBC4, January 13, [DVD]