Glossary
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of waves caused by the sudden displacement of a large volume of water. The most common cause is an undersea earthquake that lifts the sea floor, but landslides, eruptions and even weather can trigger one.
Offshore, the wave is low but very long and travels at more than 700 km/h. Near the coast it slows down and grows, up to several tens of metres. A sudden retreat of the sea is a warning sign. People should move to high ground immediately.
Examples on the Map
Other Definitions
- Tectonic Plate
- Subduction
- Mid-Ocean Ridge
- Transform Fault
- Fault
- Earthquake, Epicentre and Hypocentre
- Magnitude
- Intensity (Mercalli Scale)
- Aftershock
- Active Volcano
- Stratovolcano
- Shield Volcano
- Caldera
- Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI)
- Pyroclastic Flow
- Lahar
- Hotspot
- Tropical Cyclone, Hurricane, Typhoon
- Saffir-Simpson Scale
- Aurora and Kp Index