Name: _________________________ Date: _________________ Period: _____

“Wave that Shook the World” Viewing Guide

1. The great tsunami occurred on what date?

2. About how many people died as a result of the tsunami?
3. What event first triggered the tsunami?
4. What tectonic process was happening in the Indian Ocean?
5. The epicenter of the earthquake was 155 miles from what Indonesian island?
6. What happened to the upper plate at that moment?
7. How long did the first earthquake last?
8. What magnitude was the earthquake?
9. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii first registered the earthquake, but why were
they unable to know if a tsunami was occurring in the Indian Ocean?
10. What occurs during “tsunami initiation?”
11. What happened to the uplifted water column just a few moments later?
12. The tsunami wave builds up as it approaches land in a process called “amplification”.
Explain how this occurs.
13. What do the long wavelengths (between wave crests) of tsunami mean when the wave
reaches the shore?
14. How are tsunamis similar to tornados?
15. Northern Sumatra was hit ______ minutes after the earthquake.
16. Why is there hardly any footage of the wave hitting Sumatra?
17. How high up the hillside did the wave's destruction reach?
18. How many lives were lost in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands?
19. As more data came in to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii 45 minutes after the
quake, what did the scientists infer about the earthquake? What did they do in response?
20. In Southern Thailand some areas were devestated while others close by sustained little
damage, how did the shape of the coastline and the seabed determine this?
21. Why are the tsunami waves referred to as a “tsunami train?”
22. The tsunami wave reached Sri Lanka about ____ hours after the earthquake.
23. How many lives were lost in Sri Lanka and southern India?
24. Three and a half hours after the earthquake the scientists at the Pacific Tsunami Warning
Center in Hawaii learned that the earthquake was actually magnitude _____, which was
_____ times more powerful than a magnitude 8.5 quake.
25. What did these scientists create to help them warn other countries? They determined there
was still time to warn __________________ with the help of the State Department.
26. How many people died in Kenya?
27. The earthquake turned out to be the ____ largest in history.
28. It was so strong it shifted the entire ___________ and actually caused the earth to spin
_____________.
29. Identify at least two other major Indonesian tsunamis that occurred in the past.
30. Why was the loss of life in the Indian Ocean for worse than it had to be?
31. Identify the four main causes of tsunamis.
32. It is estimated that tsunamis pose a direct threat to about ___________ of the world's
population.
33. Where is the greatest risk of a tsunami hitting North America? Why is this?
34. How are scientists working to identify the places most at risk of a tsunami?
35. How can humans reduce the risks to human life and property from tsunamis?