Images of the tsunami
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Whenever I see any pictures related to the disaster in Asia, I only find some pictures taken AFTER, not pictures of the tsunami itself. Where can I find those pictures? Wanna see such a tsunami, not just the results, but the tsunami itself.
I have seen some footage of tourists, filming from their hotel balcony, at the moment the waves hit the shore.
I guess it saw it on CNN or someother news network.
No photos though..
I guess it saw it on CNN or someother news network.
No photos though..
On the news over here, they showed an amateur video tape from a tourist, who was filming his toddler when it happened. You saw the water retract in seconds, everybody was confused, then suddendly a kind of water wall. You didn't see anything after that, only screaming and running people.
Don't know if that tape is online. I guess more than one tourist taped the incident, but since most of them are either dead or missing...
Don't know if that tape is online. I guess more than one tourist taped the incident, but since most of them are either dead or missing...
Warning: lots of water and lots of death. If you're sensitive to that kind of thing, you may want to refrain from viewing. (I only watched the first one, which features an elderly couple being swept away--presumably to their deaths--so I'm unsure of the contents of the rest of them.)
You're Welcome.
You're Welcome.
I wonder about the shape of the tsunami. First I thought it was something like a huge wave, like this:
But later I understood it was actually a height difference of the water, moving towards the coast, like this:
Which one is it?
/\ ---> / \ ~~~~~~~/ \~~~~~~~~But later I understood it was actually a height difference of the water, moving towards the coast, like this:
~~~~~~~~~~~~ \ --> ~~~~~~~~~~~~Which one is it?
edit: GDNet's corrupting my ASCII art!
Both. Initially what happens is that a deformation of the sea floor suddenly displaces a large amount of water, which then propagates as a wave. As I understand it, in the case of this tsunami, two tectonic plates (marked by "[[A]]" and "[]" in the crude ASCII figure below) suddenly shift. Plate B is said to be subducted under A.
The waves then propagate quickly outwards. Because the wavelength is so long, the height of each wave in the open sea is barely noticeable, producing a rise of perhaps a few feet or so. The very long wavelength may make it look as if, a "difference" in sea height is propagating towards them, but this is because observers can only see one side of the wave approaching.
A tsunami's speed is related to the depth of water it's in. Because its total energy remains nearly constant, the tsunami slows when it reaches shore, and increases in height.
Needless to say, the impact of several billion tons of water with the shoreline produces devastating effects. Because earthquakes typically don't occur all at once but rather in a series of close-together shocks, tsunamis typically consist of several smaller waves rather than one crushing wall of water like the simplistic ASCII art above might suggest.
I'm sure an encyclopedia or a Google search could turn up more concise information. But that's about it in a nutshell.
HTH,
Quote:Original post by Lode
I wonder about the shape of the tsunami. First I thought it was something like a huge wave, like this:/\ ---> / \ ~~~~~~~/ \~~~~~~~~
But later I understood it was actually a height difference of the water, moving towards the coast, like this:~~~~~~~~~~~~ \ --> ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Which one is it?
Both. Initially what happens is that a deformation of the sea floor suddenly displaces a large amount of water, which then propagates as a wave. As I understand it, in the case of this tsunami, two tectonic plates (marked by "[[A]]" and "[]" in the crude ASCII figure below) suddenly shift. Plate B is said to be subducted under A.
*~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* *~~~~~~~~ sea level ( ( ( * ) ) ) shockwaves___________________ / [[A]] /_________________ ocean floor // [] //The waves then propagate quickly outwards. Because the wavelength is so long, the height of each wave in the open sea is barely noticeable, producing a rise of perhaps a few feet or so. The very long wavelength may make it look as if, a "difference" in sea height is propagating towards them, but this is because observers can only see one side of the wave approaching.
10 km fast <-----> ======> *~~~* *~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~* *~~* *~~~~~~ sea level___________________ / [[A]] /_________________ ocean floor // [] //A tsunami's speed is related to the depth of water it's in. Because its total energy remains nearly constant, the tsunami slows when it reaches shore, and increases in height.
100m <-----> generated tsunami slower ~~~~ ^ ====> ~))) | ~))) | 30+ m~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~))) _____ v shoreline ________/ ______/____________/ sea bedNeedless to say, the impact of several billion tons of water with the shoreline produces devastating effects. Because earthquakes typically don't occur all at once but rather in a series of close-together shocks, tsunamis typically consist of several smaller waves rather than one crushing wall of water like the simplistic ASCII art above might suggest.
I'm sure an encyclopedia or a Google search could turn up more concise information. But that's about it in a nutshell.
HTH,
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