Whats a Tsunami ?

A tsunami is a series of great sea waves caused by an underwater earthquake, landslide, or volcanic eruption. A huge tsunami spawned by the magnitude8.9 quake one of the largest ever recorded rocked Japan's eastern coast, on March 11,2011 -(See tsunami pictures.)

A Japanese word
Tsunami (pronounced soo-NAH-mee) is a Japanese word, and in fact tsunamis are fairly common in Japan. Many thousands of Japanese have been killed by them recently.

Tsunami Facts
A tsunami is not a single wave but a series of waves, also known as a wave train. The first wave in a tsunami is not necessarily the most destructive. Tsunamis are not tidal waves. Tsunamis are as Fast as Commercial Jets Where the ocean is deep, tsunamis can travel unnoticed on the surface at speeds up to 500 miles an hour (800 kilometers an hour), crossing an ocean in a day or less.
(Source : National Geographic magazine)

Tsunami-Tossed Boat

A tsunami-tossed boat rests on top of a building amid a sea of debris in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, on March 14 (Source : National Geographic magazine)

Houses Destroyed

Rescue workers search for Japan earthquake victims in Nodamura, Iwate Prefecture, on March 14 (Source : National Geographic magazine)

Wave of Destruction

A tsunami wave crashes over a street in Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture, in northeastern Japan on March 11. (Source : National Geographic magazine)

Nuclear Reaction

Smoke billows from Japan's Fukushima I nuclear reactor as a man watches the scene unfold on TV

Fractured Road, Japan