Earthquakes on the ocean floor can give a tremendous push to surrounding seawater and create one or more large, destructive waves called tsunamis; also known as seimic sea waves. Tsunamis may build to heights of more than 30 m (100 ft) when they reach shallow waer near shore. in the open ocean, tsunamis typically move at speeds of 800 to 970 km (500 to 600 miles) per hour. They can travel great distances while diminishing little in size and can flood coastal areas thousands of miles from their source. In 2004, the Indian Ocean Tsunami killed hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed the coastline. Another form of tsunami is called a storm surge. This is caused when a violent storm whips up huges waves. In 1970 a storm surge and cyclone hit Bangladesh, killing 266,000 people. A further 10,000 people were killed when another one struck in 1985.
fact file
Probabbly the best-known gauge of earthquake intensity is the local Richter magnitude scale, developed in 1935 by United States seismologist Charles F. Richter
resources: Tell me what (Chancellor Press)
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