Facts For Kids

Tag: Volcano

  • Boxing Day Tsunami Facts | Deadliest disaster

    Boxing Day Tsunami Facts | Deadliest disaster

    On Dec 26, 2004 earthquake occurred under the Indian Ocean and strikes different countries that were situated on the coastal areas. The magnitude of the tsunami was measured at 9.1 on Richter scale. The quake is referred to as “Boxing Day Tsunami”.

    Boxing Day Tsunami Facts

    The depth of the quake was 30 km beneath the floor.

    All these countries were badly hit by the tsunami: Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Maldives, Somalia.

    It killed almost 280,000 people and destroyed everything on its way. The 2004 tsunami is one of the biggest natural disasters claiming hundreds of thousands of lives.

    It is by far the third largest earthquake ever recorded on seismograph and the worst part of it was its long durations. The quake lasted for about 8.3 to 10 minutes. According to geologists, the longest duration shook the whole earth and as much as 1 cm.

    The epicenter of 2004 tsunami was in between Indonesia and Simeulue.

    People from all over the world donated for tsunami victims as the total amount of donation calculated was 14 billion US dollars.

    Indonesia was most severely hit as compared to other countries.

    The megathrust earthquake was followed by several other aftershocks, some of which were even as high as of 6.1 magnitudes. This was quite unusual earthquake and could never be predicted because three days before the day when it struck, an earthquake of 8.1 magnitude occurred in the subantarctic Auckland islands of New Zealand. Geologists believe that the earthquake of 8 magnitude can only occur once a year but few others were of the view that earthquake occurring in New Zealand might have triggered the Indian Ocean’s tsunami. These speculations soon came to an end when US Geological Survey released a report showing no relation between the two earthquakes.

    Thanks to the radar satellites which were able to record the height of tsunami waves two hours after the hit. This was believed to be the initial observation and the height recorded was 2 feet.

    The waves struck right at 00:58.

    The total energy tsunami waves created was twice the energy produce by two atomic bombs. The energy calculated was 20 petajoules. However, the entire energy is not consumed in the Indian Ocean as some of it escaped into the Pacific Ocean.

    Sadly speaking, there is no way one can predict the tsunami waves in the Indian Ocean even though authorities have tried to build different warning systems but none prevailed. It goes without saying that tsunami waves are hard to predict simply because the deep water waves (that creates a greater impact) attains a little height and thus a large network of sensors is required to detect it which is quite impossible.

  • Tsunami Facts for Kids | Facts about Tsunami

    Tsunami Facts for Kids | Facts about Tsunami

    Tsunami is a series of gigantic waves that are caused due to the underwater earthquake. It so happens that the earthquake under water pushes the water upward because the plates collide with each other and as it turns out the wave gets bigger and bigger and travel at a high speed. Unlike regular waves, tsunami waves are completely unbreakable with longer wavelengths. It has to take place under water in order to qualify as tsunami and the magnitude must be greater than 6.75 on Richter scale. Tsunamis for most part take place in the Pacific Ocean and coastal areas.

    Tsunami Facts for Kids

    Is it possible to Detect Tsunami before it hits?

    With the advancement in modern technology one would expect that it’s possible but still it is extremely difficult to detect the coming of huge death waves until when it comes. Do not forget that even a simple earthquake is least likely to be detected even though devices like seismographs are used to serve the purpose.

    What does Tsunami Mean?

    Tsunami is a Japanese word which means “harbor wave”. These are not merely tidal waves that are caused by the gravitational force of the moon. You can say that it is an abnormal behavior of waves rising above 100 feet.

    How High the Tsunami is?

    The height of the waves caused by tsunami goes up to 100 feet but the average height is rarely above 40 to 50 feet as it depends on how shallow the water is. Under shallow waters, the height is greater.

    At what Speed Tsunami waves move?

    The tsunami moves at the speed of 200 to 600 miles per hour at the deepest point of water. However, their speed is much lesser as they approach near the shore (30 – 40 mph). The waves in the shallow water travels at much lesser speed but the height is greater than deep water waves.

    Which country suffered the most?

    Japan is the only country that is hit (by tsunami) as many times as no other country.

    What do Tsunami waves look like?

    These are not like regular waves which are breakable or perhaps curled over one another. In fact tsunami is a gigantic wave of water that looks like a big wall constantly rising like a flood.

    How Tsunami forms?

    An earthquake under water forces the water to rise upward. As it turns out the waves created by the push travel fast to the coast and on the way they become bigger. Finally on reaching the shore, these gigantic waves smash against the coast and flood the land.

    Which Country is at a Greatest risk for Tsunami?

    Hawaii is most likely to be under the greatest threat of tsunami than any other country. Often do they come across once a year though the intensity is not so great.

    When did the First Tsunami take place and how many people killed?

    The first tsunami had occurred way back in Nov. 1, 1755 in the waters of Portugal and it claimed 60,000 lives.

    When was the Deadliest Tsunami occurred?

    The deadliest tsunami occurred in the human history was in December 26, 2004 as it killed 227,898 people. The magnitude of the earthquake recorded at 9.1 on Richter scale. It hit many countries in South Asia and East Africa including 14 countries with Sumatra and Indonesia on the forefront.

    When was the most Recent Tsunami?

    It was in the coast of Japan on March 11, 2011 with the magnitude of 9.0 killing 15,880 people on its way.

    What makes Tsunami different from Regular waves?

    Tsunami is quite from regular waves in that it has very long wavelengths that can run up to hundreds of kilometers; whereas regular waves have wavelengths of 30 to 40 meters only. It is because of this reason that tsunamis create a great impact causing a greater damage.

    Regular waves are the combinations of many waves but tsunami is a single wave that is absolutely unbreakable.

    The height of tsunami is not so great as they reach up to 100 feet but still it is bigger than the regular waves’ amplitude of 300 millimeters. The height of the wave is primarily determined by the distance between the floor from the surface of water; the lesser the distance the greater the height.

  • Mount Vesuvius Facts For Kids | The Most Active Volcano in Europe

    Mount Vesuvius Facts For Kids | The Most Active Volcano in Europe

    The Vesuvius is probably the most active volcano in the entire Europe which is believed to have caused as much damage as any other volcanic eruption. The volcano has long been admired for its silent yet deadly nature to the inhabitants of Europe and to the residents of Southern Italy in particular.

    Mount Vesuvius Facts For Kids

    The Vesuvius is a distinctive cone-shaped mountain the height of which is measured around 4000 feet on the north-eastern side of the Bay of Naples.

    While Mount Vesuvius is commonly seen as a regular cone-shaped mountain, it nevertheless consists of two peaks that are almost equal in elevation. One of these peaks is called Monte Somma while the other that seems properly applicable is known as Vesuvius. Both these peaks stand on the great mountain called Mount Vesuvius.

    The Mount Vesuvius measures around 30 miles in circumference and is almost entirely circular in shape.

    The mountain seems to have a circular base that indeed supports the two small mountains—one is cone-shaped and is comparatively taller whereas the other one is semicircular ridge little less in elevation.

    The Vesuvius was formed when two tectonic plates collided with each other. These two plates were Eurasian and African.

    Although the Mountain has undergone many different eruptions in the last 17,000 years, the worst ever was 79 A.D. eruption that took the entire city of Pompeii and killed everyone on its way. The eruption led to the demise of 16,000 people who indeed turned into Ash, mud, and rocks. This is believed to be the worst ever disaster in the history of the world. The recent scientific studies suggest that the height of the primary eruption of ash measured in between 49,000 – 98,000 ft.

    According to the Roman poet, Pliny the Younger, who was the only eyewitness of the disaster, there was a cloud of ash and fumes all around with the height reached 20 miles above the ground. The speed of molten rocks was 1.5 million tons per second. The intensity of the disaster was so much so that it released a thermal energy that was hundred thousand times than that discharged by Hiroshima bombing.

    The 79 A.D. eruption underwent two different phases: Plinian Phase and Pelean Phase. In the Plinian phase, all the ashes and fumes were expelled in the upward direction then immediately falling on earth like a rain. In Pelean phase which was possibly the most destructive phase, these ashes move as fast as possible down the sides of the volcanoes. They had run like an avalanche of smoke and dust leaving little time to react.

    The 79 A.D. eruption had continued for at least 48 hours.

    Beginning in 1631, Vesuvius had seen an array of volcanic activities and the late 1700s, 1800s, and 1900s, saw several volcanic eruptions. These eruptions could at times kill people while sometimes it destroyed the whole town.

    The volcanic eruption of 1906 killed 100 people.

    The most recent and last eruption took place in the World War II in 1944 when the volcanic ashes and mud took away with it all the Allied forces in Italy. It devastated all fighter planes.

    Since 1944, the Mount Vesuvius had been quiet and silent. However, the region had experienced quite a number of minor earthquakes since 1944.

    The mountain is deemed to have formed some 25,000 years before.

    Learn more: Mount Vesuvius Facts

  • Volcano Facts For Kids – Amazing Facts About Volcano

    Volcano Facts For Kids – Amazing Facts About Volcano

    Volcano Facts For Kids

    • Do you know the force at which a volcano goes off is like exploding 1,000,000 nuclear bombing?
    • The temperature of a volcanic emission (lava) is very hot and is about 2,200oF.
    • There is a coast in Hawaii that has green sand which was made as a result of collision with a volcanic rock (named as Olivine) with it.
    • In 1707, a volcano went off (named as Mount Fuji) in Tokyo and resulted in the loss of almost 30 thousand persons. Not only this, the rice grasslands were also destroyed and became sterile for a century afterwards.
    • As the molten rock cools rapidly, it forms a polished glass that has pointed edges and is called Obsidian.
    • The wind currents that follow from lava are so sizzling that they passes through with a speed of nearly 185 miles/hour and a temperature of 1,470oF.
    • At the bottom of the America’s Yellowstone Park lies a great volcano which was estimated to have exploded way back 640,000 years before. However the eruption of this lava if happens today, it will definitely alter the environment of our planet and the dust (ash) will cloud America as a whole. It is also possible that the whole mankind will fade away after this event.
    • The lava from Mount Fuji typically blows up one time in about 100 years. But this has not happened yet though it is behind schedule.
    • In 1883, there was among the biggest of volcanic emissions that occurred in the Krakatau islet, Indonesia. The magnitude of this eruption was enough to hide the entire islet under the sea waters.
    • The volcanic eruption in Indonesia of 1883 produced the biggest noise ever generated, even the sound went at almost 100 miles.
    • There is always a recycling process undergoing beneath the sea water in which the slow movement of rocks once recycled then hides within the Earth’s surface in order to thaw out. After this, these rocks in liquid form float up by means of a volcano.
    • The strength of the volcanic eruption is so huge that at times it annihilates the entire island, if it occurs there.
    • Within the Sumatra Island (Indonesia), there is another island named as Samosir. There was a volcanic eruption (Toba) that went off nearly 70,000 years back and as a result, this lake was constructed. Besides, there is another volcano mounting from the core of this lake.
    • According to some scientists, there was a super volcano named as Toba which occurred way back 75,000 years before and created so much destruction that only one thousand duos (couples) could survive to produce offspring.

    More Volcano Facts for Kids

    • There are three kinds of volcanoes: Shield volcanoes travel 40 to 50 kilometers and it flows with low viscosity; Stratovolcanoes are largely known for their gigantic eruptions of rock and ash and reaching enormous heights; and Cinder cone volcanoes are relatively smaller and are of short duration reaching heights of just 400 meters.
    • The tallest volcano in the solar system is on Mars and its name is Olympus Mons which rises to a height of 27 km, and measures 550 km across.
    • The tallest volcano on planet earth reaches a height of 4,207 meters and it is found in Mauna Loa.
    • The eruption of Novarupta volcano was the largest volcanic blast ever heard in the 20th century and it took place in Alaska Peninsula in 1912.
    • While some volcanoes are dormant, others are active and they continue to erupt for many years. Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano is one of the most active volcanoes and as is continued to erupt for 29 years, the eruption began in 1983.
    • The deadliest eruption ever took place was of Kilauea which erupted 200 years ago leaving 400 people dead. It is in the United States.
    • Around 65 volcanoes in the U.S. are considered to be active.
    • The worst eruption ever took place in the US history was of Mount St. Helens which occurred in 1980.
    • Around 1,900 volcanoes are deemed to be active and are likely to explode sometime in future.
    • Japan claims 10% of the world’s most active volcanoes.
    • Hasan Dag volcano in Turkey is the earliest known as is almost 8,000-years-old.
    • Venus was believed to have most volcanoes than any other planet in our solar system but now they have gone extinct.
    • In Italy around 300 million people are living in the shade of active volcanoes.
    • While volcanic eruption is dangerous, it can be effective too in that in some countries such as in Iceland, the heat energy from magma is used for running power plants. This type of energy is known as geothermal energy.
    • Nearly 20% of the volcanoes of the earth are under water.