Tsunami

Basic Information

A tsunami is a massive wave which is created by the displacement of large amounts of water within the ocean, usually by an underwater earthquake. While the wave amplitude on the open ocean is fairly low, the waves increase massively in height when they approach the coast and channel large amounts of water in small areas, causing waves with a height of dozens of meters or more.

See Also

• 1958 Lituya Bay megatsunami - the largest wave ever recorded, with a height of 524 meters (250 feet taller than the Empire State Building.
• 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami - the tsunami that caused the largest recorded loss of life.

• News: Ancient tsunami 'hit New York'
• News: Farang ghosts haunt local Thais in Phuket, Phi Phi, Khao Lak - tsunamis can cause ghosts as well.
• Event/News: Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake Hits Northern Japan
• News: Rescuing A Potential Nuke From The Chile Quake - how a tsunami can complicate a mission indirectly

Sources

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia entry

Game and Story Use

• Tsunamis are great for wiping out inconvenient coastal towns and cities and turning them into half-submerged ruins filled with treasure to loot.
• Tsunamis are a great challenge for a superhero team - how can they either rescue as many people as possible from it or stop it entirely? Since the earthquake is likely detected before the wave, they have a short time for preparation - but not much.