Tsunami Hits The Shores Of New Zealand!!

David · #1 07-15-2009, 12:09 PM

A tsunami has struck the shores of New Zealand today after a strong earthquake (magnitude 7.6) occurred off the west coast of South Island, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Ewa Beach, HI.

Tsunami tide gauges measured tsunami amplitude at Jackson Bay, NZ, at 0.17 meters (or 0.5 feet).

The quake occurred at 2:23 a.m. Pacific time, July 15.

New Zealand ledgies who live along the shores of southwest & southeast New Zealand, stay tuned to your local emergency radio & TV.

vivfox · #2 07-15-2009, 11:44 PM

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off New Zealand's western coast Wednesday generating a small tsunami. No injuries or major damage were reported.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii warned that a tsunami was generated, but it later said the waves were less than 8 inches in height and the warning was canceled after about an hour.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,532701,00.html

tuigirl · #3 07-16-2009, 09:52 AM

phew!!! just seen this news..thank goodness it's only a little wave. Having said that, I would imagine that NZers are fully prepared to move in a hurry if needs be...the threat of a major wave/quake/ volcanic eruption etc is never far from their minds (it's something wer'e used to from the get go..literally!)
Brandon....hope you didn't go out to the shore to see it!!!!!

**mylittledemon** · #4 07-16-2009, 08:34 PM

I was sitting in bed reading...i thought my wife was under the bed messing with me. The whole thing shook like a coin operated vibrating bed in a cheap motel (not that I would KNOW what those are like...ahem...) Very scary...and technically that earthquake was nowhere near Wellington.

vivfox · #5 07-16-2009, 09:09 PM

[QUOTE=tuigirl;831029]phew!!! just seen this news..thank goodness it's only a little wave. Having said that, I would imagine that NZers are fully prepared to move in a hurry if needs be...the threat of a major wave/quake/ volcanic eruption etc is never far from their minds (it's something wer'e used to from the get go..literally!)
Brandon....hope you didn't go out to the shore to see it!!!!![/QUOTE]

Yeah, those eight inch waves would have knocked him over, fa sho.

David · #6 07-16-2009, 10:37 PM

You guys are making fun of me! Now come on, don't joke about this. There seem to be a couple of misconceptions.

1) Don't confuse a tsunami -- even a very small one -- with a wind-generated surf wave. Even a small tsunami packs far more energy than a surf (or surface) wave.

2) Tsunami amplitude is not the same as wave height (crest to trough). Tsunami amplitude refers to the height of surge above mean sea level. So if mean sea level at high tide on a particular beach is 9 feet, a tsunami with an amplitude of 1 foot transforms that 9-foot high tide into a 10-foot high tide. It might not sound like a big deal, but it's an enormous difference in water volume at the shore.

This tsunami occurred right offshore of Fiordland, probably on the subduction fault. It's very dangerous when tsunamis occur so close to shoreline because the warning systems in place require more time to generate than a tsunami would require to reach the shoreline from the generating source. So let's say the warning system (& Australia has a very good one) takes 12 minutes from the time of the quake to the time of the warning being sent to authorities. But the tsunami is traveling at speed v & can therefore reach the closest shorelines to it within, say, three or four minutes. The only "warning" people on those nearby beaches would have is the quake itself.

And big quakes like this one can always generate subaerial & submarine landslides & slumps, which can create their own extremely dangerous tsunamis. It didn't happen this time, but it has happened in New Zealand's past, & will happen in the future.

tuigirl · #7 07-17-2009, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

I was sitting in bed reading...i thought my wife was under the bed messing with me. The whole thing shook like a coin operated vibrating bed in a cheap motel (not that I would KNOW what those are like...ahem...) Very scary...and technically that earthquake was nowhere near Wellington.

Get used to it babe

practice your door/underbed diving skills!! Wellington is overdue a big one btw, it's practically built on a faultline.. well the motorway is...(just to cheer you up)

tuigirl · #8 07-17-2009, 05:30 AM

[QUOTE=vivfox;831151]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuigirl

phew!!! just seen this news..thank goodness it's only a little wave. Having said that, I would imagine that NZers are fully prepared to move in a hurry if needs be...the threat of a major wave/quake/ volcanic eruption etc is never far from their minds (it's something wer'e used to from the get go..literally!)
Brandon....hope you didn't go out to the shore to see it!!!!![/QUOTE]

Yeah, those eight inch waves would have knocked him over, fa sho.

gosh, you know what I mean

tuigirl · #9 07-17-2009, 05:36 AM

David...I hope it didn't come across that I was making fun of you...jeez no, not at all.
Actually what you have now said, about the "technical" side of a tsunami is really interesting and shows me I was rather uninformed about it all, so now I'm alot wiser. thanks for posting.

**mylittledemon** · #10 07-17-2009, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuigirl

Get used to it babe

practice your door/underbed diving skills!! Wellington is overdue a big one btw, it's practically built on a faultline.. well the motorway is...(just to cheer you up)

God help me when the big one hits. It amazes me how that "big one" back in the 1850s brought up the shore line as far as it did.

tuigirl · #11 07-17-2009, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mylittledemon

God help me when the big one hits. It amazes me how that "big one" back in the 1850s brought up the shore line as far as it did.

Aaahhh, yes...the motorway faultline....along with the WIND...just another thing to love Wellington for...hehehe

David · #12 07-17-2009, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tuigirl

David...I hope it didn't come across that I was making fun of you...jeez no, not at all.

I know you weren't. I was just affecting a phony umbrage.

Quote:

Actually what you have now said, about the "technical" side of a tsunami is really interesting and shows me I was rather uninformed about it all, so now I'm alot wiser. thanks for posting.

You'll love this little clip! www.sendspace.com/file/h43ser