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What causes a tsunami


TommyK

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We know, today, tsunamis are caused by under water shifting and movement of the earth's crust. How long have geologists know this?

 

However, I was watching a made for TV movie, "Return from Gilligan's Island" (1978). The premise of the movie was that these 15 years lost castaways were swept off the island by a tsunami/tidal wave. The castaways were able to take advantage of this strong wave to begin an escape from the island. The Professor was able to predict the wave's coming because of his ability to predict a strong storm coming which 'caused' the tsunami. Today, we know that his is scientifically wrong.

 

In my 16 odd years of formal education, I seem to recall that it wasn't until the 1964 Alaskan earth quake and the tsunami that wrecked Japan the next day that geologists began to piece things together.

 

How long have we known tsunamis are caused by earthquakes?

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I do realise in advance that I am being an idiot and the Tsunami was a very serious event. I hope they get this Nuclear buisness sorted out quickly or we could all be affected by this in some shape or form, so no offense intended.

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We know, today, tsunamis are caused by under water shifting and movement of the earth's crust. How long have geologists know this?

 

How long have we known tsunamis are caused by earthquakes?

 

The Greeks knew that earthquakes and tsunamis are related.

 

And actually, tsunamis can also be caused by large landslides displacing a huge volume of water. Currently there's a lot of worry, study and controversy over a LaPalma Island (Canary Islands) landslide causing a mega tsunami that will hit the Atlantic shores. Here's one that devastated a bay in Alaska 1958 - http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsunami1958LituyaB.html

 

Additional causes: asteroid impacts (dinosaur extinction and a mega tsunami was generated) and volcanic activity (Minoan devastation tsunami from Thera eruption http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minoan_eruption )

 

 

On of my favorite interests. B)

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Well there is the school of thought that the earth is a living entity. As a living object the earth might need to release gas or whatever every now and then. In doing so we get eathquakes, volcanic activity or maybe just and earth fart.... :blink:

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Whats up with the professor? He could make a radio out of a coconut, but he couldn't fix a hole in a boat.

+1

 

He could have learned a lot from Tom Hanks.

 

A usable sextant could have been fabricated from available materials. A raft and a sail too. Personally, I think he had the hots for Ginger and figured his odds were pretty good with only three other men on the island. One an overweight sailor, one a 13 year old kid trapped in a 30 year old body and the other a 70 year old man trapped with a a 70 year old body who talked a lot like Mr. Magoo. Yeah, I don't think The Professor had any motivation to leave the island.

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