 |
 |
|
|
 |
| |
  #03
Tsunami (11-15-2006) |
|
| |
|
This morning a small tsunami struck
Kauai. The maximum change in water level seems to have been about
4 to 5 feet at Nawiliwili Small Boat Harbor. There was no major damage
or injuries caused by the tsunami.
I had read about the tsunami in the news this morning. I have lived
here for many years and have gone through two tsunami warnings. I
was a little disappointed to read about the tsunami that I had missed.
I did go down to Nawiliwili to check on my boat and to see if anything
had happened. |
| |
| At 11:00 am when I arrived at Nawiliwili
I was surprised to see that the tsunami was not over. The water was
still coming in and going out with a period of about 10 min and a
height of about two feet. There were many tales of excitement from
the boaters who were around for the biggest waves. Fortunately this
was a small tsunami and there was a lot of excitement and little destruction. |
 |
| |
 |
If you do not know a tsunami was formerly
known as a tidal wave. Scientists did not like that name because they
felt that it would be confused with the tides, which are waves with
long periods. The tides are caused by the effects of the Moon and
the Sun. They are very predictable and follow a repeating pattern.
Tsunamis are also known as seismic sea waves. They are created by
seismic events in the ocean. They are about as predictable as lottery
numbers. Seismic sea wave is probably a little tough on the general
public so they decided to call them a tsunami. This is Japanese for
a tidal wave. It really means a harbor wave. They are the destructive
waves that can destroy harbors. They do come in much like a tide but
with much shorter periods. Today's was about 10 min. between crests. |
| |
The earthquake causing it was near
the Kuril Islands North of Japan at 1:14 am HST. The largest waves
hit Nawiliwili at about 8:35 am. There had been a Tsunami advisory
but it had been canceled at about 5:30 am. It was canceled because
small waves had been reported from Hokkaido (about a foot) and Alaska
(about 8 inches).
The height of tsunami waves can vary greatly from place to place.
With neighboring areas sometimes experiencing great differences in
wave height. Sometimes distant areas will experience bigger waves
than nearby areas. In 1960 there was a very strong earthquake off
of Chile. Waves were estimated at about 80 feet at Chile. This set
off many warnings in Hawaii which had several destructive tsunamis
in its recent past. When this wave reached Tahiti it was reported
to have only been a few feet. Many people hearing this went back to
their homes in Hilo. When the waves did reach Hawaii they were up
to 35 feet in Hilo many people were killed. |
 |
 |
|
 |
Kauai Stories
Latest
Story : 3-30-2006 Helicopter Rescue
