Welcome to Tsunami!
Tsunami! is hosted and maintained at the University of Washington by the Department of Earth and Space Sciences. This website is dedicated to providing general information about tsunamis, their causes and history as well as what to do in case of a tsunami. Tsunami! is currently undergoing renovation.
The old site and its information can be accessed by following the link at the bottom of this page.
New! On February 8, 2005 Smithsonian magazine hosted an expert panel discussion on tsunamis, earthquakes and disaster preparedness. Read the discussion and see the presentations of the tsunami scientists by clicking Tsunamis: Can they happen here?
Feature: Pictures and video from the 2004 Sumatra tsunami highlighted the vast difference between tsunamis and wind generated waves. Because tsunamis have very long wavelengths they come ashore more like a long lasting flood wave rather than the breaking surf usually seen at the beach. This diagram illustrates the difference between tsunamis and wind waves when they come ashore.
Current Warning Messages?
Recent Events:
For information on the December 26, 2004 Sumatra tsunami, click here.
For the 3/28/05 Sumatra Event, click here
Useful Links:
Surviving
a Tsunami - Lessons from Chile, Hawaii, and Japan (If you read nothing
else, read this)
This is a USGS publication (available online) that details how to survive
a tsunami. It is based on personal accounts of the tsunami generated by
the 1960 magnitude-9.5 earthquake in Chile.
NOAA's National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program
Compilation of links to many tsunami websites,
most of which are technical.
This page has links to several visualizations of recent and historical tsunami episodes. They have also collected other materials about tsunamis that go beyond visualizations.
Table of Contents (link to old site)
