Exam 16: The Oceans, Coastal Processes, and Wind Processes

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A tsunami is a series of waves generated by a large undersea disturbance, such as earthquakes, submarine landslides, volcanic eruptions, or meteorite impacts in the ocean. Tsunamis generally exceed 100 km (60 mi) in wavelength, but are only a meter (3 ft. ) or so in height. They travel at great speeds in the open ocean water (600-800 kph (375-500 mph). As the tsunami approaches a coast, the increasingly shallow water forces the wavelength to shorten, resulting in an increased wave height (15 m (50 ft) sometimes).