ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES PROJECT

TOPIC :

INTRODUCTION :What is a tsunami ?

A tsunami is a giant wave (or series of waves) created by an undersea earthquake, volcanic eruption or landslide . Tsunamis are often called tidal waves, but this is not an accurate description because tides have little effect on giant tsunami waves.

-> Also called seismic sea wave .->Generated by an undersea geologic event, such as a great earthquake, volcanic explosion, or underwater landslide .->“Tsunami” in Japanese means “harbor wave” .->Tsunamis are not “tidal waves” .

THE TSUNAMI

Subduction Zone Earthquake

-> Oceanic crust collides with continental crust and is forced downward .

-> Compression forces build until rock fractures and an earthquake occurs .

* Great undersea earthquakes often occur at the margins of tectonic plates where ocean crust is

forced downward and underneath continental crust. The oceanic crust moves downward in steps as

earthquakes occur over geologic time. This type of earthquake generated the Indian Ocean

Tsunami of December, 2004.

*REASON BEHIND THE 2004 TSUNAMI

FACTS OF 2004 TSUNAMI : 1. The December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was caused by an earthquake that is thought to have had the energy of 23,000 atomic

bombs.

2. The epicenter of the 9.0 magnitude quake was under the Indian Ocean near the west coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

3. The tectonic plates in this area had been pushing against each other, building pressure for thousands of years – they continue to do so and will

likely cause underwater earthquakes and tsunamis in the future.

4. The shifting of the earth’s plates in the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004 caused a rupture more than 600 miles long, displacing the seafloor

above the rupture by perhaps 10 yards horizontally and several yards vertically. That doesn't sound like much, but the trillions of tons of rock that were moved along hundreds of miles caused the planet to shudder

with the largest magnitude earthquake in 40 years.

5. Within hours of the earthquake, killer waves radiating from the epicenter slammed into the coastline of 11 Indian Ocean countries,

damaging countries from east Africa to Thailand.

6. The Indian Ocean tsunami traveled as far as 3,000 miles to Africa and still arrived with sufficient force to kill people and destroy property.

7. The risk of famine and epidemic diseases was extremely high immediately following the tsunami – bodies rotting in the tropical heat

contaminated food and water sources.

8. Many people in Indonesian reported that they saw animals fleeing for high ground minutes before the tsunami arrived – very few animal bodies

were found afterward.

Countries affected by the Tsunami

DEATH TOLL :Dead and missing in countries hit by December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

Country dead missing total

Indonesia 126,473 93,943 220,416

Sri Lanka 30,957 5,637 36,594

India 10,749 5,640 16,389

Thailand 5,595 3,001 8,596

Somalia 298 * - 298 *

Maldives 82 - 82

Malaysia 68 - 68

Burma 61 - 61

Tanzania 10 - 10

Bangladesh 2 - 2

Kenya 1 - 1

Total 174,296 108,221 282,517

Map contours: 1-hour intervals, colored as : Red: 1-4 hour arrival timesYellow: 5-6 hour arrival timesGreen: 7-14 hour arrival timesBlue: 15-21 hour arrival times

PRESENTED BY :SHIVAM KUMAR SINGH (12)

REFERENCES : -> worldatlas.com

-> dosomething.org

-> wikipedia.org->

nationalgeographic.co.in

THANK YOU !!