An earthquake that occurs beneath the ocean can create a giant wave called a tsu

Question

An earthquake that occurs beneath the ocean can create a giant wave called a tsunami. A very large tsunami occurred recently in the India Ocean. Typical tsunamis have very long wavelengths in the open ocean, about 200.0 km (about 125 miles). They are almost undetectable in the open ocean as well, since their amplitudes range from only a few centimeters to one meter. a. Tsunamis travel very fast. A typical speed for a tsunami is 700.0 km/h. i. What is the period (in minutes) for a tsunami with this speed? ii. What is its frequency (in H_z)? b. Tsunamis also aren't just one large wave pulse that crashes on a shore. They are usually made up of a wave train several wavelengths long. What would be the time between two successive wave crests reaching shore?

Explanation / Answer

Given: wavelength '' = 200 Km; and speed 'v' = 700 Km/h

(a) We know that v = f* where f is the frequency of the wave

(ii) So frequency = 700/(200*3600) Hz = 9.72*10-4 Hz (using 1h = 3600 s)

(i) time period 'T' = 1/f = 1/(9.72*10-4) = 1.028*103 s = 17.146 min

(b) Time between any two successive crest/trough is the time period so it would be 17.146 min

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