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

• Which of the following is NOT true?

• The word "prosperity" in line 1 could be best replaced by which of the following?

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

ZUNIA12

• In the passage, the author gives the explanation of the concept of mandatory volunteer programs by ______.

• According to the text, people could come to live in the future city in the year ............

• We can infer from the passage that ..............

• According to the passage, all of the following have caused damage to the paintings EXCEPT ………………...

• What is probably the writer’s attitude in the passage?

• The word “intricate” in paragraph 2 could best be replaced by ___________.

• Which word is similar in meaning to the word “glue” ?

• What can be inferred from the passage about the adult parents of the young great horned owls?

• Which sentence best expresses the main idea of the first paragraph?

• According to the passage, why is the shape of sea cucumbers important?

• What is probably true about school picnics in recent years?

• The first songs of the Beatles were ............

• Which of the following can be inferred about Moore's poems?

• What does the passage mainly discuss?

• According to the passage, when did "the Lord of the Rings" trilogy become popular with young people?

• The word “immense” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______.

• The word ‘congested’ in paragraph 1 could best be replaced by ___.