Tsunami

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/tsunami

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How deep is Tsunami?Approximately 500-800 km/h, dependent on water depth
2. What is the geophysical trigger mechanism?Vertical seafloor displacement during subduction zone earthquakes is the primary cause
3. What is the shoaling effect?As tsunami waves enter shallow water, speed decreases and height increases dramatically
4. What causes a tsunami?Tsunamis are created when a big earthquake or other event suddenly moves a lot of water, like when one tectonic plate slides under another, or when a volcano erupts underwater, or when a big landslide happens underwater.
5. Why do tsunamis become taller near the coast?As the wave moves into shallower water, its speed slows and the energy makes the wave grow taller, turning a small wave into a big wall of water.

Subduction Zone: An area where one tectonic plate is forced beneath another, often leading to earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Amplitude: The maximum displacement or distance moved by a point on a vibrating body or wave measured from its equilibrium position.
Run-up Height: The maximum vertical height reached by tsunami waves on land above sea level.