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BTN: Tsunamis

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Animated image of a large wave on a beach
BTN: Tsunamis

SUBJECTS:  Science

YEARS:  5–6, 9–10


Discover what powerful force triggers a tsunami.

In this clip you will see the damage caused by tsunami, and find out why it occurred.

Learn about what is happening on the ocean floor and the connection between tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes and tectonic plates. See how a warning centre is working to keep people safe from tsunamis.


Things to think about

  1. 1.What do you know about tsunamis and what causes them? You may have heard about the recent Japanese tsunami and the one that hit Indonesia's Sumatra (the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004). Why did these tsunamis cause so much destruction and loss of life? Could a tsunami happen in Australia?
  2. 2.In the clip, three causes for tsunamis are given. What are they? Where do 90 per cent of all earthquakes occur? What else occurs there more than anywhere else on Earth? The Earth's surface is described as a jigsaw puzzle. Why do you think that model is used?
  3. 3.Create a model or diagram to show how tsunamis form. Include the activity at, and below, the ocean surface. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of warning systems such as the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. How effective are they at keeping people safe and what technologies are involved?
  4. 4.Australia has its own tsunami warning centre known as the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre (JATWC). Use the BOM website to research this warning centre and find out about what it does, the technology it uses, and how it communicates warnings. Research the role of seismologists and the equipment they use.


Acknowledgements

Image credit: 'Sailors deliver supplies to tsunami victims', courtesy DVIDSHUB (Flickr)


Date of broadcast: 02 Nov 2010


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated).

Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated).

Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners.

Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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