TSUNAMI AND ITS IMPACT

Tsunami and its Impact

ABSTRACT

The word tsunami is derived from the Japanese word meaning “harbor wave.” Tsunamis are frequently described as tidal waves; however, this view is erroneous, since they have nothing to do with tides. Tsunamis are generated by offshore earthquakes, submarine slides, and, occasionally, sub aerial landslides that enter water bodies. Asteroid impact is an additional but much rarer mechanism. With the exception of asteroid impacts, the displacement of mass, whether through submarine sediment slides, the collapse of a volcanic edifice, or an earthquake that induces faulting of the seabed, leads to a large-scale displacement of water. Although most tsunamis are phenomena associated with the open ocean, some tsunamis can be generated within lakes and/or fjords due to rockslide failures. An attempt is made here to explain the processes of tsunami generation and propagation as well as what happens when tsunamis strike coastlines. Also, the report describes the tsunami and it impacts in Japan.

Table of Contents

Introduction1

History of the Natural Hazard2

Recent Tsunami and Earthquake in Japan3

History of Tsunami and Earthquake in Japan4

Effects of Tsunami and Earthquake in Japan4

Earth quake impact on Japan's economy6

Conclusion7

Tsunami and its Impact

Introduction

Tsunami- which is also, known as “Tsunami wave train” is basically a sequence of waves of water which are generated by the dislocation of the huge amount of body of water they can sometimes reach at a point of more than 100 feet high on land, more often an ocean although it can also appear in large lakes. These water fortifications can be the reason of extensive devastation if they crash shore. These dreadful waves are generally produced due to large earthquakes undersea at tectonic plate borders. As the ocean floor, next to the plate boundary increase or decrease abruptly it dislocates the water over it and instigates the rolling waves that will be the reason of tsunami. About 80% of the tsunami occurs within the “Ring of fire” of Pacific Ocean, which is an active area geologically, where earthquakes and volcanoes are frequent because of tectonic shifts (Wessel, 2011).

Earthquake is one of the most terrible and destructive phenomena of nature. Annals of earthquake victims in the millions, hundreds of ruined cities and villages, damaged and destroyed buildings. Earthquakes occur due to sudden rupture of rocks of the earth and release of mechanical energy and are accompanied by tremors, shocks and vibrations of the earth's surface, covering a vast territory. During strong earthquakes disturbed the integrity of the soil, destroyed buildings and structures, bridges, roads, breaking down municipal power grids, there are rock falls, landslides, sometimes stems of the river and there are lakes (Toh, 2011).

The waves of Tsunami travel across the sea up to 805 kilometers per hour or 500 miles. Deep into the ocean the waves may occur at only foot or some high, but as these waves moves towards the seashore and mingles with the shallow water they get slow and start growing in height and energy . Various tsunamis do not occur on the shoreline as extensive breaking ...