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Tsunamis

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

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Synonyms

Seismic sea wave; Tidal wave (erroneous)

Definition

Tsunami: Japanese “harbor wave.”

Tsunami: long-length waves in a body of water (usually large lake or sea), generated by the substantial displacement of water.

Introduction

Human populations have long shown a preference for settling in coastal zones. The coastline is a meeting point between different resource zones and a doorway to efficient and economical water-based transport for trade. However, this rich and attractive location can also be vulnerable to forces of nature with gradual or rapid disastrous consequences such as sea-level change, hurricanes, and tsunamis. Tsunamis occur in a relatively short period of time. The warnings, if recognized, are rarely more than a half day in advance and more likely a matter of minutes to hours. The size of a tsunami varies greatly, ranging from waves that only slightly alter a typical day’s tide gauge record to mega-tsunamis with the potential of wave heights in the tens of meters...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Moshe Strauss Department of Marine Geosciences, Leon Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Mt. Carmel, Haifa, 31905, Israel

    Beverly N. Goodman-Tchernov

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  1. Beverly N. Goodman-Tchernov
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Correspondence to Beverly N. Goodman-Tchernov .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA

    Allan S. Gilbert

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Goodman-Tchernov, B.N. (2017). Tsunamis. In: Gilbert, A.S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4409-0_64

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