Deck 8: Tsunami Versus Wind-Caused Waves

Question 1

Tsunami wavelengths can be as great as ____________.

A)840 m
B)8400 m
C)84 km
D)840 km
E)8400 km

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Prior to the 2004 event,the last major tsunami in the Indian Ocean struck in 1883 and killed about 36,000 people.This tsunami was caused by _________________.

A)a massive undersea landslide near Sri Lanka
B)the collapse of Indonesia's Krakatoa volcano
C)a large earthquake off the coast of Sumatra
D)massive eruption of Toba
E)a meteor that struck in the central Indian Ocean

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The 1946 April Fool's Day tsunami at Hilo,Hawaii,was caused by an earthquake in ________.

A)California
B)Alaska
C)Hawaii
D)Mexico
E)Chile

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Tsunami arrive as a series of several waves separated by periods typically in the _________ range.

A)1-6 second
B)10-60 second
C)1-6 minute
D)10-60 minute
E)1-6 hour

Question 5

In 1964,12 people were killed during a tsunami at Crescent City,California.All of these fatalities were caused by the _______ wave,which was the highest in the series.

A)first
B)second
C)third
D)fourth
E)fifth

Question 6

The great 1960 Chile earthquake (M 9.5)unleashed a tsunami that killed over 1,000 Chileans.These waves also killed 61 people in Hilo,Hawaii,14 hours after the earthquake,and another 185 people in ________,22.5 hours after the earthquake.

A)California
B)Alaska
C)Japan
D)Australia
E)the Philippines

Question 7

Tsunami are typically about _____ high in the open ocean,and 6-15 m high on reaching shallow water.

A)0.1 m
B)1 m
C)5 m
D)20 m
E)30 m

Question 8

Tsunami are created by big "splashes" made in the deep ocean by all but which of the following?

A)fault movements
B)volcanic eruptions
C)landslides
D)hurricanes
E)meteor impacts

Question 9

Tsunami typically have _________________________ relative to wind-blown waves.

A)short periods and short wavelengths
B)short periods and long wavelengths
C)long periods and short wavelengths
D)long periods and long wavelengths
E)long periods and no measurable wavelength

Question 10

Tsunami is a Japanese word that means __________________.

A)big wave
B)killer wave
C)dragon wave
D)harbor wave
E)island wave

Question 11

The great 1700 earthquake along the British Columbia,Washington,and Oregon coastline sent killer tsunami to ___________.

A)Japan
B)Hawaii
C)Alaska
D)Australia
E)Chile

Question 12

In 1868,the USS Wateree was carried several miles inland by a tsunami along the coast of ______.

A)Baja California
B)Alaska
C)Hawaii
D)Mexico
E)Chile

Question 13

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed an estimated 245,000 people in ____ countries.

A)5
B)13
C)8
D)18
E)25

Question 14

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was generated by a magnitude 9.2 earthquake along __________ off the shore of Sumatra.

A)a subduction zone
B)a seafloor spreading center
C)an oceanic transform fault
D)a continental rift zone
E)a hotspot island chain

Question 15

Most of the 245,000 deaths from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami occurred in _______.

A)Thailand
B)Sri Lanka
C)India
D)Bangladesh
E)Indonesia

Question 16

Earthquake-related tsunami are created by sub-sea fault movements with pronounced vertical offsets of the sea floor.Such movements occur most commonly along __________________.

A)oceanic transform faults
B)seafloor spreading centers
C)subduction zones
D)continental rift zones
E)hotspot island chains

Question 17

The captain of a ship tells you that he once experienced a huge tsunami while sailing in the Pacific Ocean several hundred miles from any landmass.You decide that this sounds a little farfetched because __________________.

A)tsunami usually occur only in the Indian Ocean and Caribbean Sea
B)tsunami are rarely felt in deep water because they have long wavelengths and low heights
C)the ship could not have survived passing through a major tsunami in the open ocean
D)earthquakes do not occur in deep ocean waters
E)the captain did not describe any tremors or shaking associated with an earthquake

Question 18

The great 1964 Alaska earthquake (M 9.2)set off a tsunami that killed 122 people along the state's sparsely populated coastline.This tsunami also killed 12 people in the state of _________.

A)Hawaii
B)Washington
C)Oregon
D)California
E)Texas

Question 19

The 1964 tsunami that killed 12 people at Crescent City,California,was caused by a major earthquake in _______________.

A)Japan
B)Hawaii
C)Alaska
D)Washington
E)Chile

Question 20

Most tsunami travel at speeds of ____________ miles per hour.

A)4.2-4.8
B)42-48
C)420-480
D)4200-4800
E)42,000-48,000

Question 21

It is virtually impossible for ships at sea to survive a passing tsunami.

Question 22

The sloshing of a swimming pool during an earthquake is called a seiche.

Question 23

Detailed mapping of the ocean bottom around the Hawaiian Islands revealed a previously unrecognized tsunami source.What did geologists discover on the seafloor in this area?

A)a major undersea volcano
B)a huge undersea meteor crater
C)a deep ocean trench along a subduction zone
D)a system of major oceanic transform faults
E)slumps and debris avalanches formed by volcanic flank collapse

Question 24

The English language term tidal wave is a good description of a tsunami because of their relationship to ocean tides.

Question 25

There is little threat of a tsunami striking the crowded beaches of southern California.

Question 26

The largest historic tsunami wave run-up ever recorded was caused by a massive rockfall into the water at ________________.

A)Kilauea,Hawaii
B)Lituya Bay,Alaska
C)Crescent City,California
D)Arica,Chile
E)Gibraltar

Question 27

While California has experienced many deadly earthquakes,it has never experienced fatalities from tsunami.

Question 28

The Hawaiian Islands cover less surface area than the slumps and debris avalanches that have fallen from them.

Question 29

A ____________ is an oscillating wave that sloshes back and forth within an enclosed body of waters such as a sea,bay,lake,or swimming pool.

A)sake
B)slashe
C)serape
D)seiche
E)seraglio

Question 30

Geologists have shown that the east coast of the United States faces a serious tsunami threat from ________.

A)large earthquakes offshore of Portugal
B)volcanic flank collapse in the Canary Islands
C)break up of Antarctic ice shelves
D)meteor impact in the Mediterranean Sea
E)landslides along the white cliffs of Dover

Question 31

The deadly 1992 tsunami in Papua New Guinea was caused by ________.

A)uplift of the seafloor during an earthquake
B)volcanic flank collapse triggered by an earthquake
C)volcanic flank collapse triggered by an eruption
D)an undersea landslide triggered by an earthquake
E)an undersea landslide triggered by a volcanic eruption

Question 32

The destructive power of a tsunami is due mostly to the great height of the wave.

Question 33

Removal of coral reefs along some stretches of the Indian Ocean coastline greatly reduced local damage from the 2004 tsunami.

Question 34

The major earthquake that generated the killer 1992 Nicaragua tsunami was not felt by coastal residents who were later hit by the waves.

Question 35

There is little threat of a tsunami striking the east coast of the United States.

Question 36

In 1959,the water stored behind Hegben Lake Dam in Montana began to slosh violently back and forth in a series of oscillating waves.These seiches were caused by __________________.

A)the collapse of the dam
B)a large landslide into the lake
C)a small meteor crashing into the lake
D)a freight train plunging off a track and into the lake
E)a sudden drop of the lake bottom during an earthquake

Question 37

Most tsunami are generated in the Pacific Ocean basin.

Question 38

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was caused by the Earth's second-most powerful earthquake in the last 100 years.

Question 39

Tsunami have long wavelengths and very short wave heights in the open ocean.