A blog post on the Ground Truth Trekking Blog documents efforts to observe the Chile tsunami in locations such as Petropavlovsk, Kamchatka (Russia) and Seldovia, Alaska.
Japan placed its eastern coastline on a tsunami alert after the recent magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile. Their Meteorological Agency warned that waves up to 10 feet high could hit the shoreline. Hundreds of thousands of people evacuated low areas near the coast. Fortunately the waves were much smaller than anticipated.
NOAA’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has a SEVERE widespread warning, watch and advisory in effect in response to the 8.8M Chile earthquake. Visit their website for specific information for various areas.
The Pacific Tsunami Center has issued the following warning for the State of Hawaii in response to the 8.8 M earthquake that occurred this morning in Chile.
“A TSUNAMI HAS BEEN GENERATED THAT COULD CAUSE DAMAGE ALONG COASTLINES OF ALL ISLANDS IN THE STATE OF HAWAII. URGENT ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PROTECT LIVES AND PROPERTY.
A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF LONG OCEAN WAVES. EACH INDIVIDUAL WAVE CREST CAN LAST 5 TO 15 MINUTES OR MORE AND EXTENSIVELY FLOOD COASTAL AREAS. THE DANGER CAN CONTINUE FOR MANY HOURS AFTER THE INITIAL WAVE AS SUBSEQUENT WAVES ARRIVE. TSUNAMI WAVE HEIGHTS CANNOT BE PREDICTED AND THE FIRST WAVE MAY NOT BE THE LARGEST. TSUNAMI WAVES EFFICIENTLY WRAP AROUND ISLANDS. ALL SHORES ARE AT RISK NO MATTER WHICH DIRECTION THEY FACE. THE TROUGH OF A TSUNAMI WAVE MAY TEMPORARILY EXPOSE THE SEAFLOOR BUT THE AREA WILL QUICKLY FLOOD AGAIN. EXTREMELY STRONG AND UNUSUAL NEARSHORE CURRENTS CAN ACCOMPANY A TSUNAMI. DEBRIS PICKED UP AND CARRIED BY A TSUNAMI AMPLIFIES ITS DESTRUCTIVE POWER. SIMULTANEOUS HIGH TIDES OR HIGH SURF CAN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE TSUNAMI HAZARD.”
“The Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), in partnership with Oregon Emergency Management and the National Weather Service, are enhancing and expanding tsunami preparedness for Oregon coastal communities with a new program called TsunamiReady, TsunamiPrepared.”
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has produced a website: “Tsunami: An interactive guide that could save your life.” It has lots of information on topics such as tsunami survival, historical tsunamis, and more.
Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami that killed about 250,000 people around the rim of the Indian Ocean. An article and videos on the CNN website illustrate some of the observances.
A Google map of tsunami evacuation zones for the Oregon coast allows anyone to determine if they live or work in an area where special actions should be taken in the event of a strong earthquake. The website also provides tsunami safety advice for people who are in boats or buildings when a tsunami might occur. The map was a joint effort of the Oregon Department of Geology & Mineral Industries, Oregon Emergency Management and NOAA.
When a tsunami threatens an urban area, evacuation can be hampered by the resulting traffic congestion of everyone trying to leave at once. In this situation, a more effective solution would involve people seeking shelter in tall, sturdy buildings.
In this CoreCast from USGS, oceanographer Bruce Jaffe talks about the tsunami that affected American Samoa in September, 2009. Researching how people responded to the event will help improve warning systems.
When a tsunami occurs in America’s Pacific Northwest, will cities be prepared? Meetings are underway to determine how and where tsunami shelters should be constructed.
Researchers have found evidence of four tsunamis in the Mediterranean that occurred within the past 3500 years. One was linked to the eruption of Santorini volcano and others may have been caused by earthquakes or landslides.
NASA’s Earth Observatory has a satellite image of tsunami damage on the Tongan island of Niuatoputapu associated with the magnitude 8.0 earthquake of September 29th, 2009. Nine people were killed by the wave.
The Cascadia Subduction Zone parallels the Pacific coast of Oregon and has produced five massive earthquakes in the past 1400 years. This article explores the geology of these earthquakes and mitigation strategies.
People in Asia, Africa and Australia are preparing for tsunamis by practicing a drill, called Exercise Indian Ocean Wave 09. The test was aimed to determine if warning systems are functioning adequately. This article includes a short video.
NASA’s Earth Observatory has before and after satellite images that show obvious damage that occurred on September 29, 2009, when a tsunami struck the southern shoreline of Upolu, the easternmost of the Samoan islands.
Another large earthquake in the Vanuatu region… This 7.7 earthquake occurred near the Santa Cruz Islands on Thursday, October 08, 2009 at 09:18:26 AM local time. It was located on the boundary between the Australia and Pacific plates. A tsunami watch was issued but cancelled.
CNN has an article about today’s major earthquakes in the Pacific Ocean. A 7.8 magnitude and a 7.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Vanuatu area within an hour and ten minutes.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred in the Torres Islands, Vanuatu area on Thursday, October 08, 2009 at 09:03:15 AM local time. The earthquake occurred near the boundary between the Australia and Pacific plates. The earthquake’s location, depth, and focal mechanism are consistent with the earthquake having occurred as thrust-faulting associated with subduction along the Australia-Pacific plate boundary.
The potential for a huge Pacific Ocean tsunami on the West Coast of North America may be greater than previously thought. The new study of geological evidence along the Gulf of Alaska coast suggests that future tsunamis could reach a scale far beyond that suffered in the tsunami generated by the great 1964 Alaskan earthquake.
The New York Times has a more complete story on the impact of the tsunami that washed over parts of Samoa and American Samoa after a powerful earthquake this morning. Dozens of people were killed by the waves.
A tsunami is a large ocean wave that is caused by sudden motion of the ocean floor. This sudden motion could be an earthquake, a powerful volcanic eruption, or an underwater landslide. The impact of a large meteorite could also cause a tsunami…. more
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