Question

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Christmas Day Tsunami


What caused the Christmas Day Tsunami? An earthquake occurred and builded up the deep undersea level for hundreds of years. It finally let loose on December 26. It was at high speed. Once it hit sallow water it slowed but the water behind crashed into the slowing water causing it to raise making waves that were deadly.


What kinds of geographic forces were involved in creating the tsunami? The tectonic plates in this area was a big part of geographic forces and also the ocean. The tectonic plates had been pressing up against each other for a long time, building up lots of pressure and force. This resulted in tons of rock and water moving and then became the biggest earthquake in 40 years.


Why were so many people caught unprepared? They were caught unprepared because there were no tsunami warning systems in the Indian ocean, so there was nothing to detect the tsunami and warn. The relative poorness in this part of the world helped none since tsunamis aren’t easy to detect in deep waters. So that’s why they were unprepared.


They came up with Measures that took place after the incident. Thailand worked on the speed of the warnings to get the warnings out faster. Tsunami centers were set up, and sensors were placed to report and detect potential tsunamis. Low islands have been relocated to higher-elevation sites.

Answer 1

Answer: 1. What caused the Christmas Day Tsunami?

The Christmas Day Tsunami was the effect of a 9.3 magnitude underwater earthquake with a 990 mi

long rupture. The earthquake was said to have the same impact as the bombing in Hiroshima, which

was very strong. Therefore we can just imagine the intensity of the waves after a force that big.

2. What kinds of geographic forces were involved in creating the tsunami?

The earthquake caused vertical displacement in the seafloor and it release the stored energy

through the water, resulting in waves that ranged anywhere from 50-100ft high.

3. Why were so many people caught unprepared?

The earthquake that cause this tsunami was underwater so many people didn’t feel it, so they were

unaware of the giant waves that were coming.

The earthquake had a rupture of almost 1000mi long; countries that far away couldn’t feel it so they

didn’t prepare for the tsunami coming. Also the government didn’t notify the public. So the

government didn’t say anything and the people didn’t feel anything; for them that was just another

1. Tsunami Early Warning System

After the Christmas Day Tsunami, the Government of India authorized the Tsunami Early Warning

Project. The Early Warning System for Tsunamis provides advance warnings of Tsunamis likely to affect

the coastal areas of the country. First, a network of seismometers detects the seismic waves. If many

seismometers detect the same earthquake and then the magnitude can be calculated. If the

epicenter is under water, like the Christmas Day Tsunami, and the magnitude greater than a 6.5, also

like the Christmas Day Tsunami, waring is given out to the public virtually around 3minutes after the

earthquake to let them know that a big tsunami might be on its way and to prepare for impact. If the

epicenter is near inland and the probability of a tsunami is high, evacuation procedures will be

initiated immediately. Confirmation comes within about 30-60 minutes of the earthquake. This is by

using a network of tsunami buoys and seafloor pressure recorders. “These detect the series of waves

in the open ocean, and transmit the data by satellite to a regional control center. Tsunami warnings

reach the public via TV, radio, email, text messages, sirens and loudspeakers.”

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