Ø A tsunami is a series of waves (giant wave) with wavelength of a few km and
     period 10mins to 2 hrs that  results from displacements caused by large
      earthquakes (vertical movement), major submarine slides or exploding
      volcanic islands.
Ø Tsunamis are often incorrectly called tidal waves
Ø  Speed of tsunami is @ 500mph and reaches heights between 50 to 100ft. In
     open sea 1 m high, but when reaches the coast they can be as high as 30m and
     weigh millions of tons.
Ø The energy released was 4.75lakh kilo tonnes- 23,000 times the energy released
 
    by the atomic bomb that destroyed HIROSHIMA
Ø In deep water (greater than 25m), tsunamis are rarely over 1m and  will
    not be noticed by ships due to their long period.
Ø Moves in a radial direction from the source.
Ø
Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Madras, Chennai , India – 600 036
WHAT IS A TSUNAMI?
HARBOUR WAVE (WALL OF WATER)