tsunami

When I was younger I was very interested
in witnessing a tsunami.
A giant wave would have been the coolest thing ever!
I don't think the younger me considered
what happened when that giant wave
made it to shore.

In my older years I've learned that
tsunami's are still amazing,
But possess the power to be
totally devastating.
As most natural disasters can be...

The word tsunami comes from the
japanese words tsu (harbor)
and nami (wave)
and since many tsunami's occur in the Pacific.
It's no wonder that the Japanese got to name it.
On the list of the most devastating tsunami's
Japan makes an appearance 11 times.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Wikipedia defines a tsunami as:
"a series of waves created when a body of water,
such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced. Earthquakes,
mass movements above or below water, volcanic eruptions
and other underwater explosions, landslides,
underwater earthquakes, large meteoroid or asteroid impacts
and testing with nuclear weapons at sea all have the potential
to generate a tsunami. The effects of a tsunami can range
from unnoticeable to devastating."

Unfortunately the most devastating
was the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004.
Claiming about 230,100 lives.
That particular tsunami was caused
by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean.

An important thing to remember when
visiting "tsunami country" (the pacific)
are the warning sign a tsunami is on its way.
On occasion you will feel an earthquake, but
typically the water will retreat back much further
than a normal low tide.
Unfortunately this was a draw to
the beachgoers on Sumatra.
Their curiosity prevented them
from heading to higher ground.
Thus, causing the most devastating tsunami in history.

Below are 2 tsunami videos.
(it was hard to find decent ones)