Seismic death in the Indian Ocean: a quiz

seismic activity
Originally uploaded by trudeau.

A volcanic ashfall map that almost describes the range of the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami.


Have you learned a bit about tsunamis from the recent disaster? Here's a quiz designed to stimulate reading and discussion. It's based on info from Wikipedia.com. Please see answers below.

1) A tsunami is a tidal wave. T / F
2) A tsunami could be likened to a) Martha Stewart b) Michael Jackson.
3) A tsunami can be generated by landslides, explosions, roaches or the impact of extraterrestrial bodies, such as meteorites. T / F
4) The word tsu means “harbor” and nami “wave” in a) Chinese b) Hindi
c) Japanese d) Arabic.
5) The term was created by fisherman, according to wikipedia.com, who returned to harbor and were nonplussed by the destruction they found. They were surprised to find devastation because in the open sea they noticed a) only an unusual number of whales b) they became enormously hungry for a few hours c) only sea birds flying in reverse d) nothing.
6) When a tsunami hits shore it resembles an onrushing a) tide b) wave.
7) The ocean most associated with tsunamis is the a) Pacific b) Atlantic c) Indian.
8) In instances where the leading edge of the tsunami is its trough, the sea will recede from the coast half the wave's period before the wave's arrival. If the slope is shallow, this recession can exceed 800 m. People unaware of the danger may remain at the shore due to curiosity, or for collecting __ from the dry sea bottom.
a) buried treasure b) tires c) pairs of sunglasses d) fishes.
9) Tsunamis generated by undersea earthquakes typically spawn a) 3 to 5
b) 5 to 8 c) 8 to 11 crests, or waves.
10) Tsunamis may be ___ until the last minute. That’s because they may travel invisibly across vast expanses of water and the stimulating event - say, an underwater earthquake - may not have been noticed. a) unpredictable b) undetectable c) indigestible
11) A tsunami more than 100 meters (325 ft) high is possible. These rare events are typically caused by significant chunks of an island collapsing into the ocean, and can be extraordinarily devastating to faraway coastal regions. These are called
a) boogalamis b) king konganamis c) giant squidnamis d) megatsunamis.
12) The most famous tsunami of Mediterranean history occurred when the volcano under the Greek island of Santorini exploded. The resulting train of waves devastated a large island known for its high culture: a) Crete b) Malta c) Atlantis d) Sicily.
13) The December 26, 2004, __ Ocean earthquake initiated the world’s most destructive tsunami. a) Indian b) Pacific c) Antarctic.
14) Tsunami destruction took place in these nations (please mark Y or N for each nation): a) Indonesia b) Thailand c) Malaysia d) Bangladesh e) India f) Vietnam g) China h) Sri Lanka i) Japan. It even affected the coastlines of j) Somalia k) Egypt.
15) Future shock: scientists say a megatsunami may one day kill hordes of people on the east coast of the US and the western coast of Africa - the toll may reach the millions. The volcanic earthquake undersea landslide to precipitate this horrendous event must be in the __ islands. a) Philippine b) Canary c) Hawaiian d) Caribbean.
16) American B-52 crewmen in the Indian Ocean, on the island of Diego Garcia, were unaffected by the tsunami. This would indicate the atoll is surrounded by a
a) shallow b) deep underwater shelf.



Tsunami answers

1) F
2) b) Michael Jackson has suffered several embarassing waves; Stewart has had only the big one.
3) F
4) c) Japanese
5) d) nothing.
6) a) tide
7) a) Pacific
8) d) fishes.
9) a) 3 to 5
10) b) undetectable
11) d) megatsunamis.
12) a) Crete
13) a) Indian
14) Tsunami destruction took place in these nations (please mark Y or N for each nation): a) Indonesia Y
b) Thailand Y
c) Malaysia Y
d) Bangladesh Y
e) India Y
f) Vietnam N
g) China N
h) Sri Lanka Y
i) Japan N
j) Somalia Y
k) Egypt N
15) b) Canary
16) b) deep underwater shelf.