Warning and Tracking: The Science Behind Tsunamis and Their Devastating Force

Question: 1] Tsunamis can occur in any ocean, most are in the Pacific Ocean, where there were many quakes in the sea and on land. The Pacific Ocean strongly affected by volcanoes. A volcano or earthquake may create a tsunami in the ocean thousands of miles away. The majority of tsunamis occur near Hawaii, Alaska, Japan, and the West Coast of the United States. The explosion of the volcano Krakatoa, near Java, in 1883 resulted in a tsunami that killed 36,000 people many miles from there. [2] Imagine a wall of ocean water reaching 100 feet high. This wave crashes onto the shore, crushing buildings and washing thousands of people out to sea. Scientists call this amazing phenomenon of the ocean a tsunami; Japanese for “storm wave.” It destroys towns and kills thousands of people. Tsunamis are also known as tidal waves, although it has nothing to do with actual tides. [*] [3] What causes this horrifying disaster? The cause can be either an undersea earthquake, called a seaquake more often, or a volcanic eruption or earthquake on land. Oceanographer Patrick Martin says, “A tsunami is created when a quake causes land shifted underwater.” When a tsunami begins, it creates low waves that speed along at up to 500 miles per hour. However, this doesn’t immediately cause huge waves to form out on the ocean. Instead, these small swells of water rush along and then turn into a huge wave near land. As the ocean becomes shallowest, the tsunami near the shore builds up, pulling water up with it and exposes the sea bottom. Then the tsunami strikes the shore with devastating force. [4] The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii monitors seaquakes and sent out warnings of tsunamis. Scientists use seismographs (machines that detect and measure quakes) to predict where and when a tsunami will strike. This early warning system cannot prevent tsunamis, although it’s been successful in saving lives. One of the newest ways to track tsunamis is with satellites. Scientists use satellites to track the beginnings and movements of tsunamis all over the world. Question A.NO CHANGE B.exposed C.expose D.exposing