Check out the facts about the tsunami (海啸)and learn some interesting information related to these great walls of water that can cause so much destruction. Find out what causes tsunamis and read about some recent examples of tsunamis that have occurred around the globe.
Tsunamis are huge waves of water that are usually caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions (喷发). As a tsunami approaches the shore, water may move back from the coast. If it is shallow enough, water may be pulled back hundreds of metres. If you are on the shore and observe this phenomenon, you'll know that a tsunami is on the way.
Regions in tsunami danger zones often have warning systems in place to give people as much time to evacuate (撤出)as possible. When tsunamis hit shallow water (often near the coast), they slow down but increase in height.
An earthquake in the Indian Ocean off Indonesia in December 2004 caused a tsunami that killed over 200,000 people in 14 countries. In March 2011, the Tohoku earthquake off the eastern coast of Japan caused a tsunami that was a major factor in the death of over 15,000 people. The tsunami waves created by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake reached heights of over 40 metres in northern Japan, destroying coastal towns and causing a number of nuclear accidents.
The Japanese word "tsunami'' literally means "harbour wave''. Tsunamis are sometimes referred to as tidal waves but this term has fallen out of favour because tsunamis are not related to tides.
