Tsunamis: Giant Waves from the Sea Book

Preface     xi
Acknowledgments     xiii
Introduction     xv
Triggering Mechanisms for Tsunamis     1
Plate Tectonics and Tsunami Generation     1
Earthquake-Induced Tsunamis     4
Volcanic Eruption-Induced Tsunamis     7
Landslide-Induced Tsunamis     12
Prediction of a Future Atlantic Tsunami from Collapse of Cumbre Vieja Volcano, Canary Islands     16
Natural Gas and Gas Hydrate Eruption-Induced Tsunamis     18
Gas Hydrates and Future Energy Resources     19
Other Tsunamis     20
Conclusion     20
Physics of Tsunami Movement     22
Movement in Open Ocean     23
The Physics of Wind-Blown Waves     24
Encounter with Shallow Water     28
Tsunami Run-Up     33
Force of Tsunami Impact and Backwash     35
Conclusion     37
Waves Similar to Tsunamis     38
Seiche Waves and Meteorological Tsunamis     38
Tidal Surges     40
Storm Surges     43
Storm Surge from the Galveston Island Hurricane, 1900     45
Conclusion     47
Historical Tsunami Disasters     49
Earthquake-Induced Tsunamis     49
Volcanic Eruption-Induced Tsunamis     70
Firsthand Accounts of the Tsunami from the Eruption of Krakatau     76
Landslide-Induced Tsunamis     78
Conclusion     86
The Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 26, 2004     87
Tectonic Setting and Earthquake     88
Movement of the December 26 Tsunami across the Indian Ocean     93
Ten-Year-Old Tilly Smith Recognizes Tsunami Warning Signs and Saves 100 Lives     95
Effects of the Tsunami on Coastal Communities of the Indian Ocean     95
Environmental Impact of the Tsunami     99
Tsunami Uncovers Lost City of Mahabalipuram, India     99
Conclusion     100
Reducing the Threat from Tsunamis     101
Monitoring Tsunami Threats     101
Reduction of Loss from Future Tsunamis through Ecosystem Preservation     102
Predicting Tsunamis     103
Tsunami Hazard Zones and Risk Mapping     104
Tsunami Warning Systems     104
Knowing When a Tsunami Is Imminent     106
Public Education and Knowing How to Respond     107
Tsunamis in the Twenty-First Century     108
Conclusion     108
Summary      110
Glossary     113
Further Reading and Web Sites     121
Index     127