With wave speeds that can reach as much as 435 miles per hour, a tsunami can travel as far inland as 10 miles, depending on the slope and the shape of the shoreline that it is traveling across. Ships traveling in the deep ocean may pass over a tsunami and not even notice it because a tsunami can cause the waves to be as little as 2 feet high where the water is very deep.
Then, how fast do most tsunamis travel in the open ocean?
The wave spreads across the sea in all directions travelling great distances from the source at tremendous speeds. A tsunami can travel at well over 970kph in the open ocean which is as fast a jet plane. It takes a tsunami just a few hours to travel across an entire ocean.
Tsunamis travel approximately 475 mph in 15,000 feet of water. In 100 feet of water the velocity drops to about 40 mph. Did you know…A tsunami travels from the central Aleutian Islands to Hawaii in about 5 hours and to California in about 6 hours, or from the Portugal coast to North Carolina in about 8.5 hours.
If you are at the beach, immediately move inland or to higher ground. If your boat is in deep water and offshore, maintain your position. If your boat is berthed or in shallow water, secure your vessel and move inland or to higher ground. If you are on the coast and cannot move inland, seek shelter in the upper levels of a stable building., and more items.
How do you calculate the speed of a tsunami?
Tsunami speed can be computed by taking the square root of the product of the acceleration of gravity, which is 32.2 feet (9.8 meters) per second squared, and water depth. In 15,000 feet (4,600 meters) of water, this works out to almost 475 mph (765 km/h).
Where is a tsunami most likely to happen?
Speaking to the BBC Politics Wales programme, Dr Giri Shankar from Public Health Wales said: “We appear to be a week or two behind what London, most parts of England, and Scotland are seeing. “We need to make that work to our advantage because the higher the cover with booster vaccination the better.”.