Tsunami, features and articles | Educational Science

Apr 6, 2012

Tsunami 'Ghost Ship' Sinks Off Alaska Coast

A Japanese fishing vessel that seems to have drifted unmanned at sea since the 2011 Fukushima earthquake and tsunami has sunk to the bottom of the Gulf of Alaska after the U.S. Coast Guard fired at the so-called ghost ship on Thursday (April 5). The Coast Guard Cutter Anacapa, a...

Apr 11, 2012

Waves of Destruction: History's Biggest Tsunamis

Devastating Waves In landlocked Bhutan, tsunamis are becoming a danger. Climate change is melting Himalayan glaciers, increasing the risk that glacial melt will break through ice dams and wipe out villages. Scientists call these flash floods, one of which killed dozens in 1994, 'glacial-lake-outburst floods,' but in layman's terms, they're...

Apr 11, 2012

Why Today's Indonesia Quake Didn't Make a Monster Tsunami

The magnitude 8.6 earthquake that struck in the Indian Ocean off the western coast of Sumatra today resurrected fears of a repeat of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami that proved one of the most devastating natural disasters in modern memory. However, this earthquake, which struck at 2:38 p.m....

Apr 20, 2012

Ancient 'Wave of Poseidon' Was Real Tsunami

SAN DIEGO – When the ocean rose up and saved a Greek town from a marauding Persian army nearly 2,500 years ago, renowned Greek historian Herodotus chalked it up to an act of the gods. Yet new evidence suggests his account of divine intervention is firmly rooted in the earthly...

May 7, 2012

Chile Quake & Tsunami Dramatically Altered Ecosystems

The earthquake and tsunami that rocked Chile in 2010 unleashed substantial and surprising changes on ecosystems there, yielding insights on how these natural disasters can affect life and how sea level rise might affect the world, researchers say. The magnitude 8.8 earthquake that hit Chile struck off an area of...

May 9, 2012

Ships Could Provide Better Tsunami Warnings

As the research vessel Kilo Moana made its way from Hawaii to Guam in February 2010, Maule, Chile, was being struck by a magnitude-8.8 earthquake. Minutes later, a tsunami generated by that quake came ashore, devastating Chilean coastal towns and causing damage as far north as San Diego. Although the...

May 17, 2012

Small Earthquakes May Cause Surprisingly Big Tsunamis

Mysterious small tremors in the most earthquake-prone areas on Earthmay be the cause of surprisingly large tsunamis, researchers say. These findings might also shed light on the huge tsunami generated by the disastrous magnitude 9.0 quake that hit Japan in 2011. Nearly all of the 10 largest recorded earthquakes on...

May 31, 2012

Earthquakes Off Alaska Pose US Tsunami Risk

The risk of a deadly tsunami ravaging the United States is now leading scientists to investigate hazards posed by giant earthquakes off the Alaskan coast. Scientists are concentrating on the Alaskan-Aleutian subduction zone, where the tectonic plate underlying the Pacific Ocean is diving underneath the continental plate underlying North America....

Jun 25, 2012

Tracking Japan's Tsunami Debris (Infographic)

The devastating 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011, claimed nearly 16,000 lives, injured 6,000 people, and destroyed or damaged countless buildings. As a result of the disaster, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expects remnants of the debris that the tsunami washed into the...

Aug 6, 2012

Video Captures Near-Deadly Iceberg 'Tsunami'

One second you're volunteering to be your uncle's translator, and the next a glacial wave nearly sinks your ship. Jens Møller was visiting family near Ilulissat, Greenland, when he decided to go for a boat ride with his uncle to serve as a translator for an Australian tourist, and to...

Aug 29, 2012

Boat Lost in Japan Tsunami Washes Up in Canada

A small Japanese boat confirmed to have been lost during the 2011 Japan tsunami has washed up on a remote Canadian island. The green-and-white vessel was discovered by two locals on Spring Island, northwest of Vancouver Island. British Columbia's Emergency Management agency then matched the boat's serial number to one...

Aug 31, 2012

Why Philippines Earthquake Tsunami Warning Was Cancelled

The large earthquake that struck off the eastern coast of the Philippines today (Aug. 31) at 8:47 p.m. local time sparked tsunami warnings across a large swath of the neighboring Pacific region, yet those warnings were canceled not long after. The magnitude-7.6 earthquake hit about 58 miles (63 kilometers) from...

Sep 13, 2012

How Wave Shapes Could Explain Deadly Tsunamis

X- and Y-shaped ocean waves that are often seen at beaches may help explain why tsunamis can be so devastating, researchers say. Ocean waves can sometimes interact to yield ripples that are much taller than the simply added combined heights of their originating waves, a sign of what researchers call...

Sep 21, 2012

23 Nuclear Plants in Tsunami Risk Zones, Study Finds

In March 2011, a devastating earthquake and tsunami set off a partial meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear plant on Japan's coast. A recent study led by European researchers found Fukushima is not alone, as 22 other plants around the world may be similarly susceptible to destructive tsunami waves, with most...

Oct 28, 2012

Tsunami Threat to Hawaii After Canadian Earthquake Canceled

A tsunami warning and advisory have been canceled for Hawaii after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck off the west coast of Canada Saturday night local time sent small tsunamis to southeast Alaska, coastal British Columbia and off Haida Gwaii, formerly called the Queen Charlotte Islands. The National Weather Service had...