Tsunamis - Where and When?

 Source: Teacher Resource Exchange

 

http://tre.ngfl.gov.uk/server.php?request=cmVzb3VyY2UuZnVsbHZpZXc%3D&resourceId=11744

 

Search the NGDC Tsunami Event Database at:

http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/hazard/tsevsrch_idb.shtml    (NB. the database may be busy!)

·         Set the start year as 1905 and end year as 2004

·         Set the minimum number of deaths to 10 (towards the bottom of the page)

·         Leave all the other fields blank

·         Click “search database”


1.      How many “events” with 10 or more deaths were there during the last century?

 

 

2.      Where and when was the most recent event listed? (NB. Spreadsheet doesn’t include 26/12/04)

 

 

 

3.      What was the magnitude of this event? How many deaths were caused?

 

 

 

4.      What is the main cause of the tsunamis listed?

 

 

 

5.      Which country had the most events that caused tsunamis in this list?

 

 

 

6.      Where and when was the event that had the largest earthquake magnitude (on the Richter Scale)?

 

 

 

7.      How many deaths did this event cause? Did this event cause the most deaths in the list?

 

 

 

8.      Where and when was the event that caused the most deaths? How many deaths?

 

 

 

9.      What was the magnitude  (on the Richter Scale) of the earthquake that caused this event?

 

 

 

10.  Does there appear to be a link between the number of deaths and the magnitude of the earthquake?

 

 

 

11.  Does there appear to be a link between the maximum water height and the magnitude of the earthquake?

 

 

 

12.  What factors might affect the maximum water height when the tsunami reaches land?

 

 

 

13.  Where and when was the event that caused the highest “intensity” tsunami?

 

 

 

14.  Which other event had a greater “Max water height”?

 

 

 

15.  Why might this event be considered as non-typical (“strange”)?

 

 

Re-run the query for events since the year -2,000 (ie. 2,000BC), or for events in the last century without a minimum number of deaths. What do you notice about the data?