Tsunamis can travel as fast as a jet plane, reaching speeds of over 500 mph (800 km/h) in the deep ocean. Once they form, their speed depends on the depth of the ocean. In the Pacific Ocean, where the average depth is 4500 meters, the speed of a tsunami is 750 km/h. In comparison, large ocean swells travel much slower.
Tsunamis typically originate at undersea boundaries of tectonic plates near the edges of continents. They can travel at speeds of about 500 miles or 805 kilometers an hour, almost as fast as a jet plane. The deeper the ocean, the faster a tsunami travels. In offshore waters, the speed can be as fast as a jet plane. On the other hand, the shallower the sea, the faster a tsunami can travel.
The distance between waves is the wavelength, and once a tsunami forms, its speed depends on the depth of the ocean. In the deep ocean, tsunamis can move as fast as a jet plane, crossing entire oceans in less than a day. As the waves approach shallow water near land, they slow to approximately 20 or 30 mph.
In summary, tsunamis can travel as fast as a jet plane in the deep ocean, with the speed of a tsunami varying depending on the depth of the ocean. In the Pacific Ocean, the average depth is 4500 meters, and a tsunami can travel at speeds of up to 500 miles or 805 kilometers an hour.
📹 How to Survive a Tsunami, According to Science
You’re on a beach. Not a worry in the world. The sun bronzing your skin, sand trickling between your toes, the sound of waves– …
Can a tsunami move faster than a jet plane?
Tsunamis, which can be categorized into four types, are caused by the movement of waves in the ocean. In deep oceans, they can move as fast as a jet plane, reaching speeds of over 500 mph. As they enter shallow water near land, they slow down to around 20-30 mph, still faster than running. As the waves slow down, they can grow in height and intensify currents. Most tsunamis are less than 10 feet high, but in extreme cases, they can exceed 100 feet.
When a tsunami comes ashore, it may appear like a fast-rising flood or a wall of water. Tsunamis can travel up rivers and streams leading to the ocean and can flood low-lying coastal areas more than a mile inland. The series of waves that flood, drain away, and then reflood the land may last for hours, with the time between waves ranging from five minutes to two hours.
Do tsunamis get faster as they travel?
The speed of a tsunami depends on the depth of the water it is traveling through. In the deep ocean, tsunamis can move as fast as a jet plane, over500 mph, and cross entire oceans in less than a day. As they enter shallow water near land, they slow to the speed of a car, approximately 20 or 30 mph. Tsunami speed can be calculated by taking the square root of the product of water depth and gravity acceleration, which works out to about 475 miles per hour in 15, 000 feet of water.
In the deep ocean, tsunami wavelengths may be hundreds of miles, but waves are rarely more than three feet high. As waves enter shallow water near land, their wavelengths decrease, height increases, and currents intensify. Most tsunamis are less than 10 feet high when they strike land, but in extreme cases, they can exceed 100 feet.
What can outrun a tsunami?
Tsunamis are not a sprint, and most people cannot outrun them. When a tsunami warning is received, it is crucial to avoid being near the wave. It is essential to know warning signals and not underestimate the speed of the wave. If the beach starts shaking or the ocean appears strange, head off the Spit, away from beaches, and from Beluga Slough to the highest elevation. Lingering too long may lead to running out of time to find safe places.
Tsunamis can also come in as a series of inundating waves, with the second wave often being larger than the first. Wait for clear signs from emergency operations personnel before returning to the tsunami zone. Don’t take selfies in the devastation zone, as it may be the last one taken.
Can a tsunami move across the oceans at the speed of a jetliner?
Tsunami movement depends on the depth of the ocean, with deep ocean tsunamis moving over 500 mph and having a wavelength of hundreds of miles. Mariners at sea may not notice a tsunami as it passes beneath them, as the wave rarely reaches more than three feet higher than the ocean swell. NOAA Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami (DART) systems detect small changes in sea-level height and transmit this information to tsunami warning centers.
On April 13, 2018, a large wave surged across Lake Michigan, flooding Ludington, Michigan, damaging homes and boat docks. NOAA scientists reconstructed the event in models and determined it was the first documented meteotsunami in the Great Lakes caused by an atmospheric inertia-gravity wave. Tsunami safety is crucial, as it becomes hazardous when it approaches land, slowing offsite link to 20-30 mph, increasing wavelength, height, and intensifying currents.
Could a cruise ship survive a tsunami?
The vessel’s strategy for navigating a tsunami wave entails deeper submergence, which mitigates the wave’s impact and enhances the hull’s resilience. This approach prevents the vessel from capsizing or sinking.
Can a jet outrun a tsunami?
Tsunamis are caused by the potential energy of water when it is suddenly uplifted or dropped down relative to the surrounding water. Under the force of gravity, the water tries to return to a stable position. All tsunamis involve the entire column of water from the sea floor to the ocean surface. The deeper the water, the more potential energy and driving force for the tsunami. The speed of a tsunami is relatively easy to estimate, as it’s a simple function of the water depth.
In the deep ocean, a tsunami is about as fast as a jet airplane, traveling around 500 miles per hour. In the very deepest parts of the oceans, the speed can be over 700 miles per hour. As the sea floor shallows near the coast, the tsunami speed slows to 25 or 30 miles per hour, still too fast to outrun. Tsunamis are always largest at the coast, and their height is usually too small to be noticed. As the tsunami approaches shallower water, the speed slows and the water begins to build up.
The shape of the coast and sea floor can focus the tsunami in some areas and make it smaller in others. Scientists studying tsunami hazards consider all factors, including the size and nature of the source and the coastal and sea floor shape, to determine the size of a tsunami.
What’s the worst tsunami ever?
The Boxing Day Tsunami, also known as the Asian Tsunami, was a devastating tsunami that devastated communities along the Indian Ocean coasts, killing an estimated 227, 898 people in 14 countries. The disaster caused major disruptions to living conditions and commerce in coastal provinces of surrounded countries, including Aceh (Indonesia), Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu (India), and Khao Lak (Thailand). Banda Aceh reported the largest number of deaths. The tsunami was the deadliest natural disaster of the 21st century and the worst tsunami disaster in history.
It was also the worst natural disaster in the history of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The tsunami was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Asia, the 21st century, and at least the third most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the world since modern seismography began in 1900. It had the longest fault rupture ever observed and the longest duration of faulting ever observed. The plight of the affected people and countries prompted a worldwide humanitarian response, with donations totaling more than US$14 billion (equivalent to US$23 billion in 2023 currency).
Can you outrun the tsunami?
Tsunamis are not a sprint, and most people cannot outrun them. When a tsunami warning is received, it is crucial to avoid being near the wave. It is essential to know warning signals and not underestimate the speed of the wave. If the beach starts shaking or the ocean appears strange, head off the Spit, away from beaches, and from Beluga Slough to the highest elevation. Lingering too long may lead to running out of time to find safe places.
Tsunamis can also come in as a series of inundating waves, with the second wave often being larger than the first. Wait for clear signs from emergency operations personnel before returning to the tsunami zone. Don’t take selfies in the devastation zone, as it may be the last one taken.
Can a cruise ship outrun a tsunami?
In the absence of a perception of tsunami waves, a cruise ship in deep ocean waters is unlikely to experience any tsunami impacts, as Heaton suggests.
Can a tsunami sink an aircraft carrier?
Despite reaching speeds of up to 700 kilometers per hour in the open ocean, a tsunami is a wave with an amplitude of only one meter or less.
Could Usain Bolt outrun a tsunami?
Tsunami safety experts have refuted the notion that an individual could outrun a tsunami, asserting that this is an implausible scenario, even for a renowned sprinter like Usain Bolt.
📹 Why Planes Don’t Fly Over the Pacific Ocean
Why do airlines avoid the Pacific Ocean? You might think it was a safety issue. The Pacific is the largest and deepest of the world’s …
The sign of retracting water sadly only has a chance of 50% to occur. It happens if the wave through hits first instead of the crest (peak). Also, the waves height mid-ocean is seldom bigger than 30cm and hardly detectable. It builds up in shallow water near the coast to a few meters and looses 99% of its speed from originally 500-800 kph to around 30-50 kph.
In 2004 i was 2 years Old and me and my family was in Thailand during the tsunami. My dad grabbed me while He screamed to my mother to focus on her own Life. At a time my dad passed out and my mother took me, and a swedish man helped my dad and Said to my mother she should carry on with me before the next wave would came. We all survived in the end. May good bless that swedish man.
You had 20 minutes to get at least one mile in land or 100 ft up. This will save you in most instances if you run out of time try to get behind the biggest building and dead center to it for protection. This will help you in most cases. Even if the tsunami wave looks small the undertow is deadly. If you find yourself pulled out to see do the same thing that you would do in an undertow that is swim parallel to the land until it stops pulling you out to sea.
I was on a small island in Malaysia with no Internet on boxing day 2004, we were on the beach and all of a sudden we were covered with water, so my sister and I rented kayaks to investigate. We forgot about what happened for the next few days, when we got on the mainland we learned about how devastating the tsunami was and that we only survived because of a bigger island blocking us. We eventually made our way to Singapore and went to an Internet cafe to check in with our parents and learned that our dad had reported us missing and the embassy was looking for us. For over a week our parents thought we were dead. Their experience was a nightmare and they were grieving. Lesson learned, always check in after a major disaster so time and resources can be spent on those unaccountable.
I am here, from my Andaman and Nicobar Islands trip. I enjoyed my time there. One that thing got me interested were the Tsunami warning signs . I was really interested in them and decided to search about them . Here i am now, reading that people lost their loved ones in such a traumatic event. Reading that makes me imagine myself in the same situation and holy, i feel a sudden shiver down my spine.. Many people in the comments mentioned that their loved ones lost/risked thier life for them. For those who made it, Very Good. I am glad to hear that an innocent person is still alive. It’s an act of bravery and courage that you made it ! For those who did not.. You will be remembered, it’s a very courageous act to give your life for your loved one!
Trying to put things together for me as a mom – choose the beach with some hilly background – choose the island with some islands around as shield ones – ask your hotel which internet portal we can watch/ be warned if it is expected to happen. – before going to the beach, make a small talk with kids about what we should look for or do if it ever happens – if you have watched a lot of scary movies with kids, include one with disasters. – keep your eye on water pulling back (only 50% I know but better than nothing)
It’s so important for people to know this…Sadly, I’ve seen a lot of articles and footage of previous moments of tsunamis that happened and was heartbreaking to watch so many ppl, speacially families with children, going into the seabed that was left exposed while the water receded; they were collecting fish and seashells not realizing they were about to die
My aunt and cousin (her daughter) survived the 2004 Tsunami that hit the Sri Lankan island as well. They used to live in the coastal area so they became victim to this hazard. Luckily they have been dragged by the current to a shelter and have been stuck inside that the whole time. My cousin was only a few months old infant. I remember my aunt saying that her hand let go of my cousin but she didn’t give up, she somehow reached down the water and caught my cousin back up. It was terrifying, I’m shook at how she handled it and how they managed to survive this whole incident, but I’m glad they’re still alive. My cousin is now 16 years old and they’re both doing better.
Two friends of mine were in Thailand and ended up running up the nearest, tallest hill with the water nipping at their heals. They BARELY survived, along with a random stray dog. They stayed up there for several days. They started a dog rescue organization and a local food stand operator kept them fed until they could fly back to their home in The Netherlands. I hadn’t heard of any of this until I happened to see the wife getting interviewed on a local Dutch TV station. That food stand lady was a saint, feeding them and all the other random survivors for free. My friends go back there each year for charity work, mostly for the dogs and are still helped by the food stand owner, friends for life, I’d say!
as someone who lives 3-5 minutes away from the ocean, this is one of my biggest fears but what scares me more is that when dangerous things occur, my family is like eh its okay nothing will happen, even when news is talking about it and all and government says to move away like about a few months ago we got a warning a cyclone will hit and my family is like eh we’ll be fine, i live with my grandparents and my mom, so my grandma was the one saying we are ok here its alright even her sons from abroad were telling her we should stay at a hotel for a few days to be safe, but she said no thankfully the cyclone moved to another direction and didnt hit us but it was very close but im scared if something happens, god forbid my family will say its ok and wont do anything about it
The Korean cram school where I worked nearly lost a teacher in the Boxing Day Tsunami. She was on a sea kayaking vacation. We were alarmed when we didn’t hear from her for a couple of days. Then she sent an email out to everybody on her contact list: “I’m okay. I’ll tell you about it when I get back.” That morning she had gone down to the beach and it didn’t look right. She was pondering this when she noticed that the locals were moving away from the beach, so Lisa started walking away from the beach as well. Then she noticed that people were running past her. She looked back and saw the wave and started running. A small pickup truck pulled up along side her as she ran and a man in the back asked, “Do you need help?” Lisa didn’t even stop running. She just lifted up her arms and they pulled her into the truck and she was one of the people who got to high ground.
I survived the 2004 tsunami too. I’m from Sri Lanka. On December 26, 2004, tsunamis swept across the Indian ocean, spawned by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra. Aside from Indonesia, our country Sri Lanka likely suffered the most casualties, with the death toll reported at 21,715 on December 29th. Waves are taller than 100 feet. Please never happened this again… 🙏🙏
I’m one of those people who have been survived from 2004 Tsunamis.. And i was only 2 years old at that time. I don’t know how my parents and the other family have been struggling from that biggest disaster. We even lost a lots of people and family members. I could not imagine about it. Now I’m 20 years old but still I sometimes scared of the beach and sea.
In Water War 1. Water: RETREAT!!! Soldiers: Attack them quick!! Water: Send the big bois out!! Soldiers: What did he just say? Soldier: Dunno Water: LETS SEND 10 ROGUE WAVES TO THEM! Soldier: Retreat!! Rogue Wave: Incoming!!! *Covers 65% Land* Soldier: Wheres my tank? Soldier 2: Its down there. Soldier: How do we get it up here? Water: Theres no time to get that tank! Helicopter Squad: Did you really not expect us? Water: uhhhhh………… No
imagine sitting at the beach, and all of a sudden the water drains like it would inside a bath tub. After a while, you see a massive, dark, roaring wave ahead. It looms, and you stop for a second, watch it, and then scramble up and run away. But it is hopeless. You turn around, still running, just in time to see the deadly wave splash over your head…
Finally, something useful. I was perusal what to do if a sinkhole appeared or if I was attacked by a tiger. LOL. But tsunamis, as we’ve seen over the past 20 years, happen A LOT. And the really big one in 2004 killed 250,000 people. It could be very useful, tips to survive one. Those 500 Swedish tourists vacationing in Thailand and dying from the 2004 tsunami are a prime example of people who don’t live near tsunami zones, but who could’ve benefited greatly from knowing what to do.
So a correction, if I may: The wave only travels at jet speed when it’s still in open water and just inches tall. By the time it runs into land, causing it to rise to up to or over 30 meters, the energy required to push it up to those heights slows it down significantly. By the time they hit land, devastating as they are, they are most certainly not going that fast. There’s my wet blanket for the day haha
Interesting. This is not what I expected to see. I expected a way to deal with it if, say, you were sleeping on the beach then woke up to see it coming and not far away. …Now in my personal experience having gone swimming in the ocean during a storm and sometimes encountering 10 to 15 foot waves (which I know is smaller than a tsunami but is still much taller than a person and can be scary in the moment), I’ve noticed that the best way to not be carried away by a wave like that is to dive headfirst down into the wave, since the momentum and weight of the rush of water is near the top of the wave. By dropping down underwater and moving both into the wave and towards the ocean floor, I’ve found this offsets the push of the wave since you’re cutting through it at a perpendicular angle and staying with the weakest part of the wave. So my expectation is that if I’m in the water when a tsunami comes calling and there’s no chance to get to higher ground or run away, I’m thinking the best way to survive it would be to face it head on and do the same thing by trying to dive down through it but also under it. Can anyone else confirm this is a good last ditch thing to do to maximize chances of survival? Or am I being stupid in thinking this will help?
Despite never having been in that situation, ever since the tsunami in Thailand 2004, I’ve had nightmares about tsunamis ever since, to this very day. It had given me such a strong impression, and nightmares about tsunamis come ever so often. I always know that something bad is going to happen when I dream that I’m on the beach or near any ocean, because I’ve dreamt it so many times before, and it always ends up with a tsunami coming. Tsunamis are horrifying. I feel sorry for whoever going through such a terrifying situation, and the loved ones left behind afterwards, and any survivors for the trauma they will have afterwards, and their nightmares will be alot worse than mine, since they know how it feels, how it happens and how it looks like excactly.
People who are saying “I don’t live near the ocean, but I’m still scared” WHY DO YOU THINK THAT’S LIKE THAT? I grew up in an area where earthquakes were common, and the center of our town was literally around the ocean. I’m not scared of tsunamis. This article literally tells us what to do in its case, and I know I’ll do anything I can. The worst fear is the fear of the unknown.
3:48 Okay. Correction: Tsunamis do travel incredibly fast, up to 600 miles per hour. But this is only when they are far out at sea. They are also only about two feet tall when far out at sea, barely noticeable. But when the wave reaches the shore, the wave emerges more from the shallow water and grows, but slows down to tens of miles per hour. Not 600 mph. Still terrifying nonetheless. I tell you, it wouldn’t be the tsunami that killed me, no. Instead it would simply be my heart stopping from seeing a 30 foot wave headed right towards me…. Great article, though. Great information, too. Keep it up, man. Just thought I’d make that little correction. K Bye!
Idk I’m thinking about buying an oxygen tank. The thing is if you’re inside when it hits aren’t you dead already because of the current from the windows and the broken glass. My idea is to have a tiny 4 min oxygen tank breathe for the 3 minutes while I wait for the room to fill up then ditch the tank and swim upwards holding my breath. I’m completely inexperienced, but it seems like to me having an oxygen tank is a good idea. I would think most people die from drowning during a tsunami, because by the time you realize what has happened to you and that you’re in water. 1. You can’t see shit because its murky so you are losing oxygen all during that time while you are trying to figure out where the surface is. Then if you can find the surface you have what 20-30 meters up to hold your breath in. I would think even a 3 min oxygen tank could help you as long as you breath it in under water before you make your ascent. Idk if I can hold my breath for 3 swimming pools. Everyone is saying that using oxygen tanks underwater that deep is dangerous if you use it while you are rising it can collapse a lung or fill up your head with nitrogen? So that’s why I’m assuming I should ditch the oxygen tank once I’m ready to swim to the surface, but it has to be helpful while I’m trying to figure out what to do it buys me time to breath and think clearly for what I’m about to do.
I was in a beach town and we were told that a tsunami would be coming in an hour. I had no car, the closest mountain was too far to get to, and no one was around to give me a drive. So I basically cried, called my parents back home to say goodbye and then went to bed to try and sleep like they did in that one scene in the titanic. 😭
in 2004 my grandparents including my mom and her siblings went to Indonesia for mmeting ny grandpa s ex boss and to enjoy the winter vacation. after celebrating christmas in boss house they just thought to go toa a beach of banda aceh for sandplay(cause my mom was 20 but stil liked it as her brother was 12). Next day on the way to the beach his boss said its my wifey s birthday, so please come over in a rsturant . They then say waves coming from far away . With a car they ran to a tall building and got up at the roof and stayed for 7 days there . All of them lived but granduncle rajesh (grandad friend) got under water while running in the stairs as he was a bit unhealthy . In class 7 while we were reading about thius tsunami my mum siad me the story:face-blue-wide-eyes: