PubTalk — Tsunamis

Lessons and Questions from the Indian Ocean Disaster

By Eric L. Geist, geophysicist, Bruce E. Jaffe, oceanographer, and Brian F. Atwater, geologist

• What do computer animations reveal about transoceanic tsunamis?
• What varied marks of its force and height did the December 26 tsunami leave in the coa stal environment?
• Why did waves 100 feet high strike norhtern Sumatra in December, while low-lying Bangl adesh was spared?
• Can a Sumatra-size tsunami occur on the U.S. Pacific coast?
• What is the tsunami threat to central California, and how is this region getting prepa red?