The word "tsunami" comes from the Japanese language, describing very long, low seismic sea waves. They are are triggered by seismic disturbances - coastal earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or undersea landslides, that jolt the ocean floor. During this tremor, the crust is likened to a giant paddle, smacking the water at the site of the disturbance. Oftentimes, earth tremors will displace ground surface, sending an entire column of water in motion outward from an earthquake region. …
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…addition, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii, USA keeps track of all earthquakes to find their location and size. If they are likely to create tsunamis, all Pacific countries are notified. If tsunami waves are actually detected, the tsunami alerts become tsunami warnings, which allows all those at risk to start taking precautions. Bibliography: http://www.geophys.washington.edu/tsunami/intro.html http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/tsunamis/index.shtml?tqskip1=1&tqtime=1025