http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/tsunamis/ Tsunami News. Causes of tsunamis, status of tsunami devastated regions, and locations where scientists predict tsunamis might occur in the future. Read about tsunamis and earthquakes. en-us Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:05:01 EST Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/tsunamis/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105092611.htm Community-based education and awareness programs minimized the death toll from the recent Samoan tsunami, according to a team of researchers that traveled to Samoa last month. Funded by a National Science Foundation grant, the team collected data to document the impacts of the earthquake and ensuing tsunami that occurred on Sept. 29. Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091105092611.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028112803.htm For the first time, a group of scientists working in the Kuril Islands off the east coast of Russia has documented the scope of tsunami-caused erosion and found that a wave can carry away far more sand and dirt than it deposits. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028112803.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019134709.htm Coastal towns and cities in the northwest are woefully unprepared for a large-scale natural disaster. In response, geotechnical engineers are working to develop a series of tsunami evacuation buildings up and down the northwest coast. They would be the first buildings of their kind in the United States. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019134709.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026093728.htm There is a likely chance of tsunami waves reaching the shores of Israel, says one researcher, following geoarchaeological research at the port of Caesarea. Tsunami events in the Mediterranean occur less frequently than in the Pacific Ocean, but recent findings reveal a moderate rate of recurrence. Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091026093728.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930132654.htm Scientists have found a way to monitor the strength of geologic faults deep in the Earth. This finding could prove to be a boon for earthquake prediction by pinpointing those faults that are likely to fail and produce earthquakes. Until now, scientists had no method for detecting changes in fault strength, which is not measurable at the Earth's surface. Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930132654.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930132700.htm Seismologists have found evidence that the massive 2004 earthquake that triggered killer tsunamis. Their study suggests the Earth's largest earthquakes can weaken the strength of fault zones worldwide and trigger periods of increased global seismic activity. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090930132700.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817142849.htm Using a technique called "ambient noise correlation," seismologists have observed significant changes in the behavior of parts of Earth's crust that were disturbed by three major earthquakes. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817142849.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817142743.htm New research about what triggers earthquakes shows that splay fault activity varies through time. Fri, 21 Aug 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817142743.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720083421.htm The potential for a huge Pacific Ocean tsunami on the West Coast of America may be greater than previously thought, according to a new study of geological evidence along the Gulf of Alaska coast. The new research suggests that future tsunamis could reach a scale far beyond that suffered in the tsunami generated by the great 1964 Alaskan earthquake. Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090720083421.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090716103849.htm For the first time, scientists have demonstrated that tsunamis in the open ocean can change sea surface texture in a way that can be measured by satellite-borne radars. The finding could one day help save lives through improved detection and forecasting of tsunami intensity and direction at the ocean surface. Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090716103849.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622195628.htm As reports of a strong earthquake in Alaska continue to emerge (on June 22) a Baylor University earthquake researcher says this is not an unusual event in this area. Tue, 23 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622195628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090429091637.htm A geologist and tsunami expert debunks persistent idea that so-called "chevrons," large U- or V-shaped formations found in some of the world's coastal areas, are evidence of megatsunamis caused by asteroids or comets slamming into the ocean. Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090429091637.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090429132256.htm Scientists have developed a more comprehensive analysis of earthquake activity in the Lake Tahoe region, which suggest a magnitude-7 earthquake occurs every 2,000 to 3,000 years in the basin, and that the largest fault in the basin, West Tahoe, appears to have last ruptured between 4,100 and 4,500 years ago. Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090429132256.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090427010803.htm The enduringly popular theory that the Chicxulub crater holds the clue to the demise of the dinosaurs, along with some 65 percent of all species 65 million years ago, is challenged in a new article. A impact didn't lead to mass extinction 65 million years ago, geologists find. Tue, 28 Apr 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090427010803.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421080357.htm Up to 30,000 residents and tourists could be under threat from a newly discovered tsunami risk in the Caribbean, according to experts in disaster risk management. The heavily populated coast of Guadeloupe will have little warning if a tsunami is triggered by the collapse of a volcano on the nearby island of Dominica. Geologists have discovered that a flank of the volcano Morne aux Diables ("Devils' Peak") shows signs of collapse and if so, a million-ton chunk of rock could crash into the sea, producing tsunami waves up to almost 3 metres (10 feet) high. Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090421080357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414172924.htm A new study of storm-related deaths from a super cyclone that hit the eastern coast of India in 1999 finds that villages shielded from the storm surge by mangrove forests experienced significantly fewer deaths than villages that were less protected. Tue, 21 Apr 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090414172924.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090410100937.htm Scientists have analyzed data on the earthquake in Pisco, Peru and its impact on regional topography. Using InSAR-based geodetic data and teleseismic data, the scientists were able to use satellite images to identify details of this major plate boundary event. Sat, 18 Apr 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090410100937.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090409142243.htm The 2007 Solomon Island earthquake may point to previously unknown increased earthquake and tsunami risks because of the unusual tectonic plate geography and the sudden change in direction of the earthquake, according to geoscientists. Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090409142243.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090411080807.htm Propagation of earthquake waves within the Earth is not uniform. Experiments indicate that the velocity of shear waves in Earth's lower mantle between 660 and 2900 km depth is strongly dependent on the orientation of ferropericlase. Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090411080807.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401102812.htm A new mathematical formula that could be used to give advance warning of where a tsunami is likely to hit and how destructive it will be has been worked out by scientists at Newcastle University. The research was prompted by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami disaster which devastated coastal communities in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090401102812.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090215151853.htm Deep-sea drilling into one of the most active earthquake zones on the planet is providing the first direct look at the geophysical fault properties underlying some of the world's largest earthquakes and tsunamis. Fri, 27 Feb 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090215151853.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090215151609.htm After installing an extensive network of monitoring stations in Costa Rica, researchers have detected slow slip events (also known as "silent earthquakes") along a major fault zone beneath the Nicoya Peninsula. These findings are helping scientists understand the full spectrum of motions occurring on the fault and may yield new insights into the events that lead to major earthquakes. Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090215151609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090129140843.htm New evidence suggests that tectonic plate slippage and nonvolcanic tremor near the Cascadia subduction zone both are signs of processes taking place 25 miles deep at the interface of the Juan de Fuca and North American plates. "We are quite confident that each episodic tremor and slip event will increase the stress on the megathrust fault," one of the researchers said. "If a megathrust earthquake were to begin off the Washington coast, one might expect it to occur during one of these slow slip events." Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090129140843.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090128160818.htm Scientists seek to create reliable early warning systems that accurately estimate the magnitude of an earthquake within the first seconds of rupture. Scientists looked at the idea that an earthquake's final size can be determined during its initiation, rather than something that only becomes apparent at the end of the rupture. Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090128160818.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090112201025.htm Human impact on tropical forest ecosystems has reached a "tsunami" stage, say scientists, and will require a new generation of sophisticated remote-sensing technology to monitor the changes. Roughly 1.4% of the world's tropical humid forests was deforested between 2000 and 2005, and that as of 2005 more than half of the forests contained 50% or less tree cover. Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090112201025.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210131040.htm New research shows that the great Indian Ocean earthquake that struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on the day after Christmas in 2004 set off tremors nearly 9,000 miles away in the San Andreas fault at Parkfield, Calif. Wed, 24 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210131040.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081203131042.htm The subduction zone that brought us the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and tsunami is ripe for yet another large event, despite a sequence of quakes that occurred in the Mentawai Islands area in 2007, according to a group of earthquake researchers. The recent seismic activity was not enough to release strain in the area's subduction zone, the researchers report in the journal Nature. Thu, 04 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081203131042.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081127123204.htm Everyone remembers the deadly tsunami which swept across Asian beaches on Boxing Day 2004. In Sri Lanka alone, the tsunami claimed more than 30 000 lives in a few minutes. About one and a half million people lost their homes, and many of them became refugees. After the destruction the international aid workers moved in to the island. Large amounts of money had been donated, the media ran extensive stories, and the international aid organizations were keen to show that the money was being spent efficiently. In the rush, however, the local competence in Sri Lanka was pushed aside. Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081127123204.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081110153720.htm The newly implemented Tsunami Early Warning System for the Indian Ocean, German Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System, goes into operation November 10 and with this, the system enters its final phase of optimization. Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081110153720.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081029141037.htm A quarter-million people were killed when a tsunami inundated Indian Ocean coastlines the day after Christmas in 2004. Now scientists have found evidence that the event was not a first-time occurrence. Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081029141037.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080926184626.htm Rather than building stronger ocean-based structures to withstand tsunamis, it might be easier to simply make the structures disappear. Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080926184626.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924185324.htm A line of massive boulders on the western shore of Tonga may be evidence of the most powerful volcano-triggered tsunami found to date. Up to 9 meters (30 feet) high and weighing up to 1.6 million kilograms (3.5 million pounds), the seven coral boulders are located 100 to 400 meters (300 to 1,300 feet) from the coast. Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080924185324.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910141831.htm Researchers analyzing the May 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China's Sichuan province have found that geological stress has significantly increased on three major fault systems in the region. The magnitude 7.9 quake on May 12 has brought several nearby faults closer to failure and could trigger another major earthquake in the region. Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080910141831.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080826124413.htm Scientists have completed a new analysis of an earthquake fault line that extends some 200 miles off the southern and central Oregon coast that they say is more active than the San Andreas Fault in California. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080826124413.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814091216.htm Scientists are to explore the fault lines that caused the May 12th earthquake in China that killed 69,000 people. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814091216.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080721153737.htm For humans in the path of destructive hurricanes and tsunamis, an accurate warning of the pending event is critical for damage control and survival. Such warnings, however, require a solid base of scientific observations, and a new satellite is ready for the job. The Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM)/Jason 2 adds to the number of eyes in the sky measuring sea surface and wave heights across Earth's oceans. The increased coverage will help researchers improve current models for practical use in predicting hurricane intensity, while providing valuable data that can be used to improve tsunami warning models. Sun, 27 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080721153737.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080709112231.htm After completing their simulation component in the German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System, tsunami modeling scientists have presented a new software system for warning of tsunami events with the potential for catastrophe. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080709112231.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080706194244.htm The May 12 earthquake that rocked Sichuan Province in China was the first there in recorded history and unexpected in its magnitude. Now a team of geoscientists is looking at the potential for future earthquakes due to earthquake-induced changes in stress. Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080706194244.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080528095926.htm The island of Sumatra, Indonesia, has shaken many times with powerful earthquakes since the one that wrought the infamous 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Now, scientists from the California Institute of Technology and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences are harnessing information from these and earlier quakes to determine where the next ones will likely occur, and how big they will be. Thu, 29 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080528095926.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080525132352.htm Until 1992, when California's magnitude-7.3 Landers earthquake set off small jolts as far away as Yellowstone National Park, scientists did not believe large earthquakes sparked smaller tremors at distant locations. Now, a definitive study shows large earthquakes routinely trigger smaller jolts worldwide, including on the opposite side of the planet and in areas not prone to quakes. Mon, 26 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080525132352.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402164140.htm On the one year anniversary of a devastating earthquake and tsunami in the Solomon Islands that killed 52 people, scientists are revising their understanding of the potential for similar giant earthquakes in other parts of the globe. According to a new report in Nature Geoscience, the rupture in the Solomon Islands broke through a geological province previously thought to form a barrier to earthquakes. Implications are worldwide. This discovery means other sites such as the Cascadia Subduction Zone in northwestern North America have potential for more severe earthquakes than once thought. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402164140.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318224409.htm Azhii peralai: from the deep ... large waves. This is the expression for 'tsunami' in Tamil, the oldest language in southern India. For an ancient dialect to have its own phrase for destructive waves triggered by earthquakes, the people of Tamil Nadu likely experienced tsunamis periodically through the centuries, say scientists. In other words, the catastrophic Indian Ocean event in December 2004 that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries -- including 15,000 in India -- was hardly a one freak occurrence, he says, and people could have been much better prepared for it. Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318224409.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311090733.htm NOAA has just deployed the final two tsunami detection buoys in the South Pacific, completing the buoy network and bolstering the U.S. tsunami warning system. This vast network of 39 stations provides coastal communities in the Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico with faster and more accurate tsunami warnings. Thu, 13 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311090733.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080205125248.htm Scientists aboard IODP scientific drilling vessel Chikyu collected 5,000 samples from the seismogenic zone known as the Nankai Trough. The samples will provide scientists with new sources of data and the potential for increased understanding of how earthquakes are generated. Mon, 11 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080205125248.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130130636.htm Earthquakes occurring at the edges of tectonic plates can trigger events at a distance and much later in time. These doublet earthquakes may hold an underestimated hazard, but may also shed light on earthquake dynamics. Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130130636.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080128113331.htm Researchers evaluated all known potential tsunami-generating sources in the Indian Ocean basin, and then calculated the impact of the waves they can generate. The geographical distribution of risk is evaluated on a basin-wide scale. Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080128113331.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123182522.htm A wave of new NASA research on tsunamis has yielded an innovative method to improve existing tsunami warning systems, and a potentially groundbreaking new theory on the source of the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Tue, 29 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123182522.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080117103739.htm Earth scientists have reported the discovery of a strong variation in the tectonic stresses in a region of the Pacific Ocean notorious for generating devastating earthquakes and tsunamis in southeastern Japan. The team used a high-tech drill ship to probe deep into a zone responsible for undersea earthquakes known to cause tsunamis. Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080117103739.htm