8.8 Earthquake Hits Chile

[HuskyCaucasian]

Actually, a tsunami is kind of like a ever-increasing wave that continues to get bigger.... bigger.... bigger.... BIGGER... BIIIIIIGGGGGER until it runs out of water when it hits a shore.

 

That's how a tsunami travels across an ocean and why places as far off as Japan and Russia has tsunami warnings.

 

For example, in the 2004 tsunami, it started after an ocean earthquake, I believe, near the sundra trench, and what began as a wave, a vibration in the water, kept rippling away from the epicenter and as it kept rippling away the ripples get bigger and bigger as it travels on water over a long distance until that initial ripple becomes a big gigantic monster wave of a tsunami that devastates everything in it's path. Which is what hit Thailand, etc.

 

I hope Japan and Russia doesn't take much damage, they might get tsunamis worse than what will hit Hawaii, because the tsunami will build up even more over an even longer distance.

ahhh ok. I had the opposite impression that they dissipated over distance. Thanks for some education!

[SouthsideDon48]

ahhh ok. I had the opposite impression that they dissipated over distance. Thanks for some education!

Anytime bro! I saw a show about tsunamis about a year ago on the history channel and I found it fascinating.

[Balta1701]

ahhh ok. I had the opposite impression that they dissipated over distance. Thanks for some education!

Actually, you're 1/2 correct, they will dissipate in magnitude with distance. The way to think of it is that when the earthquake happens, it raises up a mountain of water that immediately collapses outwards. There's nothing in the way that slows down the collapse, but as the collapse covers more area, it does lose energy. An avalance is a decent reference for that.

 

What happens when it gets towards land can, however, re-alter the format. For example, Hilo Bay is the kind of area that slopes inwards, so if you hit it at the right angle, the waves can interfere constructively, you can re-combine a portion of that energy, and thus you can re-energize it.

 

The reason the wave gets bigger when it gets close to land is that when its in the open sea, the wave runs the full height of the ocean (a couple kilometers deep). When it gets close to shore, the bottom gets shallower, so all of the energy that in the open ocean is spread out thinly gets compacted into a few tens of meters or less, and then that's what hits the shoreline. A normal wave only impacts the surface; a tsunami is a wave of energy through the full depth of the ocean.

 

They certainly will dissipate with distance, but the main dissipation for now is that it is covering more area. This tsunami will be register-able in the Atlantic tomorrow.

[southsider2k5]

ahhh ok. I had the opposite impression that they dissipated over distance. Thanks for some education!

 

People actually died in Kenya from the Boxing Day Tsunami.

[Balta1701]

People actually died in Kenya from the Boxing Day Tsunami.

But, it was only a couple of them, because the warning got there, and because it wasn't as big as it was when it struck Sri Lanka, Aceh, or Thailand.

[LittleHurt05]

Damn, my cousin is studying abroad in Chile, but I think she was spending the weekend far down south where theres penguins or whatever so she probably avoided the brunt of the quake. Looking at all the of the bridge damage, looks like its gonna be tough getting around far distances down there.

 

She is far down south and is OK, but said Santiago was pretty beat up

[shipps]

Stocking?...you tied down broda?

[Stocking]

People in Hawaii are stocking up on supplies, lol. The waves will not hit for over three hours, and they won't be anything like those of the Tsunami of 2004.

 

COUNTDOWN -- 3 HOURS UNTIL DEVASTATION

 

grow up, seriously.

 

I live 1.5 miles off the coast but getting called into work to help the evacuation. Ocean across the street, I'll be on the sixth floor.

Edited February 27, 2010 by Stocking

[Balta1701]

And if it turns out worse than expected they don't have the luxury of driving out to some far suburb for supplies. They're on a island....in the middle of the ocean....thousands of miles away from other places.

The other thing worth thinking about...how does Hawaii get its supplies? On the big island, basically you've got ports and you've got the Hilo airport and the single road around the island. The Hilo airport is at an elevation of about 10 meters above sea level. And every port, presumably, sits at sea level. So its entirely possible that there could be a cutoff of supplies for some time if the tsunami is big enugh.

[Balta1701]

grow up, seriously.

 

I live 1.5 miles off the coast but getting called into work to help the evacuation. Ocean across the street, I'll be on the sixth floor.

Are you still along the Kona coast?

 

What's the history with Tsunami on that side? You're kind of shielded by Hualalai there, right?

[Balta1701]

Since I happened to have this photo, this is a shot of a tree in Hilo Bay, HI. The water there is the Pacific, so that is sea level. The rings on the tree mark tsunami levels. The top one marks 1960. 35 feet, I believe. The lower ones would be ~ a 10 feet tsunami, which is what they're talking about now, roughly.

 

[Balta1701]

Here's also a shot from above of Hilo bay.

 

[bmags]

God bless stocking.

 

also, thanks balta.

[southsider2k5]

But, it was only a couple of them, because the warning got there, and because it wasn't as big as it was when it struck Sri Lanka, Aceh, or Thailand.

 

I think it was like 6, but that was more towards the point of how far a tsunami can travel.

[southsider2k5]

grow up, seriously.

 

I live 1.5 miles off the coast but getting called into work to help the evacuation. Ocean across the street, I'll be on the sixth floor.

 

God speed buddy. Be safe.

[Balta1701]

CNN just referred to receding waters on Coconut Island.

 

That tree photo is from Coconut Island park.

[HuskyCaucasian]

Freaking morons are SURFING right now.

[HuskyCaucasian]

CNN just referred to receding waters on Coconut Island.

 

That tree photo is from Coconut Island park.

Waikiki beach waters are retreating 20-30 ft

[Balta1701]

Waikiki beach waters are retreating 20-30 ft

That's not unusual. Just means that in this direction, you have a negative wave first, it's going down first rather than going up.

 

20-30 feet out isn't all that far, when you consider that the slope is pretty shallow; that's only a couple feet down.

[Balta1701]

Freaking morons are SURFING right now.

Yeah....

[knightni]

The warning suggests for people to move inland, not stock up on supplies to anticipate the apocalypse.

 

Oh, but I know, "who knows how much damage will occur or whether their homes will be remaining."

 

3 HOURS UNTIL DEVASTATION

Why buy supplies if the tsunami would just take them away?

[G&T]

That's not unusual. Just means that in this direction, you have a negative wave first, it's going down first rather than going up.

 

20-30 feet out isn't all that far, when you consider that the slope is pretty shallow; that's only a couple feet down.

 

It's low tide right now according to the CNN affiliate.

[southsider2k5]

Waikiki beach waters are retreating 20-30 ft

 

It also has nothing to do with how big the wave will actually be.

[knightni]

http://www.tikisgrill.com/index.php?id=9

 

Live webcam.

[Balta1701]

Why buy supplies if the tsunami would just take them away?

Because you can take your supplies up-slope with you. As long as you're >30 feet above sea level, anything you take is pretty much safe. Mauna Kea, for example, rises 14,000 feet. So you're in pretty good shape.

 

Edit: except in the case of an asteroid impact in the Pacific Ocean or a sector collapse avalance of a Hawaiian volcano. Then you're in real trouble.