Tsunami is a Japanese word which means harbor wave and is used as the scientific term for seismic sea wave generated by an undersea earthquake or possibly an undersea landslide or volcanic eruption. When the ocean floor is tilted or offset during an earthquake, a set of waves is created similar to the concentric waves generated by an object dropped into the wave. Most tsunamis originate along the Ring of Fire, a zone of volcanoes and seismic activity, 32.500 km long that encircles the Pacific Ocean. Since 1819, about 40 tsunami have struck the Hawaiian Islands.

A tsunami can have wave lengths, or widths, of 100 to 200 km, and may travel hundreds of kilometres across the deep ocean, reaching speeds of about 725 to 800 kilometres an hour. Upon entering shallow coastal waters, the wave, which may have been only about half a metre high out at sea, suddenly grows rapidly. When the wave reaches the shore, it may be 15 metres high or more. Tsunamis have tremendous energy because of the great volume of water affected. They are capable of obliterating coastal settlements.

Tsunami should not be confused with storm surges, which are domes of water that rise underneath hurricanes or cyclones and cause extensive coastal flooding when the storms reach land. Storm surges are particularly devastating if they occur at high tide. A cyclone and accompanying storm surge killed an estimated 500,000 people in Bangladesh in 1970. The tsunami which truck south and southeast Asia in late 2004 killed over 200 thousand people.

Which of the following is NOT true?

Câu hỏi liên quan

• In paragraph 5, the author suggests that ..........

• In paragraph 2, cities like London, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam are mentioned ............

• What would happen if you pressed the snooze button?

ZUNIA12

• Which of the following statements is NOT true?

• According to the passage, all of the following contributed to the spread of English around the world _________ .

• The author uses the word “indeed” in the second paragraph for what purpose?

• In order to show that learning to write requires effort, the author gives the example of ....................

• The changes possibly caused by the cellphones are mainly concerned with ______.

• The word “they" in paragraph 5 refers to ................

• “Bricks” are mentioned in paragraph 3 to indicate how _______.

• According to paragraph 3, which of the following fields is NOT suitable for a person who does not want to live in a big city?

• What does the word “which” in the fourth paragraph refer to?

• According to conservationists, what is the best way to save the snow leopard?

• What does the passage mainly discuss?

• The word this in paragraph 2 refers to ............

• According to the passage, the difficulty in diagnosing allergies to foods is due to ______________.

• The word “ integral” in line 13 is closest in meaning to .....

• According to the passage, an overconfident front may hide _______.

• When education first reached women, they were ..............

• Look at the verb accelerate in paragraph 3. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to _____.