how are tsunami waves formed and why do they affect the environnement so much?

Answer 1

When a sudden displacement of a large volume of water occurs, or if the sea floor is suddenly raised or dropped by an earthquake, big tsunami waves can be formed by forces of gravity. The waves travel out of the area of origin and can be extremely dangerous and damaging when they reach the shore.
Tsunami are also known as "seismic or tidal sea wave" however the terms are misleading, because tsunami waves can be generated by other, non seismic disturbances such as volcanic eruptions or underwater landslides, and have physical characteristics different of tidal waves.

Tsunami caused by earthquakes---
the most destructive tsunamis are generated from large, shallow earthquakes with an epicenter or fault line near or on the ocean floor. These usually occur in regions of the earth characterized by tectonic subduction along tectonic plate boundaries. The high seismicity of such regions is caused by the collision of tectonic plates. When these plates move past each other, they cause large earthquakes, which tilt, offset, or displace large areas of the ocean floor from a few kilometers to as much as a 1,000 km or more. The sudden vertical displacements over such large areas, disturb the ocean's surface, displace water, and generate destructive tsunami waves. The waves can travel great distances from the source region, spreading destruction along their path. it takes an earthquake with a Richter magnitude exceeding 7.5 to produce a destructive tsunami.

Tsunami caused by volcanic eruptions---
violent volcanic eruptions represent also impulsive disturbances, which can displace a great volume of water and generate extremely destructive tsunami waves in the immediate source area. According to this mechanism, waves may be generated by the sudden displacement of water caused by a volcanic explosion, by a volcano's slope failure, or more likely by a phreatomagmatic explosion and collapse/engulfment of the volcanic magmatic chambers.
Tsunami generated by submarine landslides, rock falls and underwater slumps-----
tsunami waves can be generated from displacements of water resulting from rock falls, icefalls and sudden submarine landslides or slumps. Such events may be caused impulsively from the instability and sudden failure of submarine slopes, which are sometimes triggered by the ground motions of a strong earthquake. Major earthquakes are suspected to cause many underwater landslides, which may contribute significantly to tsunami generation the energy of tsunami waves generated from landslides or rock falls is rapidly dissipated as they travel away from the source and across the ocean, or within an enclosed or semi-enclosed body of water - such as a lake or a fjord. BUT, the largest tsunami wave ever observed anywhere in the world was caused by a rock fall in Lituya Bay, Alaska on July 9, 1958.

Answer 2

tsunami waves are formed from earthquakes which are cause by the shifting of tectonic plates below the earths crust or by a large enough landslide.

It is even thought that a large enough bomb, displacing billions of gallons of water in a mater of seconds could cause a devestating tsunami

Tsunamis can be bad and also good for the environment.

An example of it being bad is that it has the capability to destroy animals which are part of the eco system . All animals are in the circle of life and if one is eliminated, it may have a slight or even huge effect on some species one way or another.

A good example of a tsunami is the cleansing of earth. Ecosystems have actually been created as a result of tsunamis. From billions of gallons of water being trapped inland. Even though human beings lives are precious, humans also have the ability to destroy. I am a firm believer in global warming and a tsunami in any major industrial country could slow the warming of the earth for years. An example, which i hope never comes true is what if a major tsunami hit new york which puts out pollutants massively. a tsunami would greatly cut down the fossile fuel use and smog output.

Answer 3

A tsunami (pronunciation /sʊˈnɑːmi/ or /tsʊˈnɑːmi/) is a series of waves when a body of water, such as an ocean is rapidly displaced on a massive scale. Earthquakes, mass movements above or below water, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions, and large meteorite impacts all have the potential to generate a tsunami. The effects of a tsunami can range from unnoticeable to devastating.

The term tsunami comes from the Japanese language meaning harbour ("tsu", æ´¥) and wave ("nami", æ³¢). Although in Japanese tsunami is used for both the singular and plural, in English tsunamis is often used as the plural. The term was created by fishermen who returned to port to find the area surrounding their harbour devastated, although they had not been aware of any wave in the open water. A tsunami has a much smaller amplitude (wave heights) offshore, and a very long wavelength (often hundreds of kilometres long), which is why they generally pass unnoticed at sea, forming only a passing "hump" in the ocean.

Tsunamis have been historically referred to as tidal waves because as they approach land, they take on the characteristics of a violent onrushing tide rather than the sort of cresting waves that are formed by wind action upon the ocean (with which people are more familiar). However, since they are not actually related to tides the term is considered misleading (even though not all tsunami occurred in harbours) and its usage discouraged by oceanographers.

Answer 4

There are a number of ways that a Tsunami is formed.
1. Undersea quakes... caused by techtonic movment along rifts in the crust or plate movement under another plate etc. but Tsunamis do not always result from an underwater earth quake.
see link #1 and #3

2. Landslides.... when large pieces of Land fall off into the ocean.
When i use the term large i mean Very large. whole sides of islands, or hills. see link #2

3. Vocanoes ...Krakatoa, Santorini.. etc. Boom the explosion and then the collapse into the sea. see link #4

4. Astroid impact. need i say more ? see link #5

Answer 5

The tsunami waves are formed form earth quakes beneath the sea. they effect the environment because they cause great amount of damage to lands, people's lives and there economies. And it kills livestock. breaks trees floods fields with salt water and then the farmers can't grow anything on the land for several months and sometimes years.

Answer 6

Earthquake occurs under body of water, causes water above to be displaced and large "wave" is sent out from all directions of earthquake focus point - well for environmental effects it floods coastlines and cities, beaches many oceans animals, and many humans drown in the events

Answer 7

they're formed by massive earthquakes under the ocean floor... they displace so much water that when the water gets shallower (as in near the shor) they create huge waves. usually a smaller one that sucks the water back away from shore followed by a massive wave.

Answer 8

tsunamis form when there's an earthquake underwater. I heard that many animals start behaving differently when they feel the earthquakes.