Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Are there areas in the world that have the most tsunamis?

Here is my final answer for Are there areas in the world that have the most tsunamis?

Obviously countries near oceans are at risk but there are certain areas with a greater risk.

The earth’s surface is made up of tectonic plates. A fault line is where two tectonic plates meet and when they do meet they either slide past each other, scrape together or crash head on causing an earthquake.

Fault lines are where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are most likely to happen and are also areas most affected by tsunamis. A major fault line stretching around the edges of the Pacific Ocean is often called “The Pacific Ring of Fire”. Other fault lines can cause tsunamis in the Indian Ocean and off the coast of Africa.
Places with reefs, bays and sloping beaches are in great risk because if a tsunami waves come in contact with a reef or bay, it can increase the height and power of the tsunami. Places with a bay that goes into a channel are at risk because a narrow channel, make a tsunami very high.

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