The quake that struck in the Gulf of Alaska late Monday, triggering a tsunami warning for Alaska and a tsunami watch for the U.S. West Coast, rekindled concerns that a seismic sea wave along the northwest coast could kill, injure or displace tens of thousands of people and cause billions of dollars in damage.
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The term seismic sea wave is also used to refer to the phenomenon, because the waves most often are generated by seismic activity such as earthquakes. Prior to the rise of the use of the term tsunami in English, scientists generally encouraged the use of the term seismic sea wave rather than tidal wave. However, like tsunami, seismic sea wave is not a completely accurate term, as forces other than earthquakes – including underwater landslides, volcanic eruptions, underwater explosions, land or ice slumping into the ocean, meteorite impacts, and the weather when the atmospheric pressure changes very rapidly – can generate such waves by displacing water.
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The geophysicist August Heinrich Sieberg (20th century) estimated that this earthquake caused a "seismic sea wave" (tsunami) which flooded the coasts of the region of Syria. Sieberg did not name a primary source for his estimation. The historians Pierre Vattier(17th century) and Marcello Bonito (17th century) mention the earthquake, but not the tsunami.
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Ranongga was sighted in 1787 by sailors Read and Dale. On August 18, 1959, a seismic sea wave was generated off the west coast of Ranongga Island, at 08 hr 05 min. Soon after, large waves were observed in Vori, on the northern coast of the island. The sea receded by 15m and then returned to its original position.
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The 881 Acre earthquake took place in the vicinity of Acre in 881 (Hijri year 268). Alexandria was reportedly affected by the same earthquake. Antonopoulos, 1980 According to the geophysicist August Heinrich Sieberg (1875–1945), the earthquake caused a seismic sea wave (tsunami). The tsunami affected mainly the city of Acre (Acca) and its vicinity, where it caused much damage.
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According to Procopius, in 551 the region of the Malian Gulf was shaken by a new earthquake. The earthquake was then followed by a seismic sea-wave (tsunami). There reportedly was a sudden "influx of the sea" in the gulf between the regions of Thessaly and Boeotia. The cities of Echinus and Tarphe were flooded by the tsunami, and were immediately "levelled".
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In Alaska, the earthquake caused severe damage to roads and buildings on Adak Island, but no lives were lost. Two bridges and some oil and fuel-related structures at the dock were also destroyed there. On Umnak Island, a concrete mixer and some docks were lost. Prompt warnings from the Seismic Sea Wave Warning System were credited with preventing greater damage or loss of life.
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Lesser damages were reported from the cities of Nicomedia (modern İzmit) and Antioch (modern Antakya). The earthquake was reportedly felt as far as Constantinople (modern Istanbul), and areas of the Middle East. Antonopoulos, 1980 The earthquake caused a seismic sea wave (tsunami) which reportedly flooded many coastal areas in southern Anatolia. The waters advanced over inland, reportedly transporting with it ships and marine animals.
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The 803 Mopsuestia earthquake took place in the vicinity of Mopsuestia and the Gulf of Alexandretta (İskenderun) in 802 or 803 CE (Hijri year 187).Antonopoulos, 1980 The main source for this earthquake is Al-Suyuti (15th century), who records both the earthquake and a related inundation of the Ceyhan River. He also records a seismic sea wave (tsunami) caused by the earthquake. Antonopoulos, 1980 Al-Suyuti omitted this earthquake in his work History of the Caliphs.
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An additional detail reported by a chronicle is that the Caspian Sea seemed to be in a state of convulsion at the time of the disaster. Antonopoulos, 1980 The narratives indicate that this earthquake caused extensive faulting, and permanent crustal deformation. The deformation itself caused the elevation of the coasts of the Caspian Sea. It seems probable that the event also caused a "seismic sea wave" (tsunami), though this is not clearly indicated in the primary sources.
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Prior to the 1961 field season, Pioneer underwent major repairs to her hull plating, and the Coast and Geodetic Survey equipped her with a gravity meter and a towed transducer. On 11 April 1961, she began the 1961 field season, departing Alameda for Kodiak, Alaska. Along the way, she developed information on four seamounts, conducted oceanographic measurements, released weather balloons and made frequent meteorological reports, and collected gravity measurements. Her personnel inspected the Seismic Sea Wave Warning System gauge and the standard tide gauge at Womens Bay and the nautical chart agency at Kodiak.
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The 542 Sea of Marmara earthquake took place in the winter of 542 in the vicinity of the Sea of Marmara. It also affected the coasts of Thrace and the Edremit Gulf.Antonopoulos, 1980 The earthquake affected the eastern Roman empire during the reign of the emperor Justinian I. According to the historian George Kedrenos (11th century), this earthquake is associated with a seismic sea wave (tsunami) which flooded the coasts of Thrace. The cities of Aphrodesion, Dionysioupolis, and Odessa (modern Varna) were reportedly flooded, alongside other settlements of the Gulf of Adramyttium (the Edremit Gulf).
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A tsunami (plural: tsunamis or tsunami; from Japanese: 津波, lit. "harbour wave"; English pronunciation: /tsuːˈnɑːmi/), also known as a seismic sea wave or as a tidal wave, is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Tsunamis can be caused by undersea earthquakes such as the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, or by landslides such as the one in 1958 at Lituya Bay, Alaska, or by volcanic eruptions such as the ancient eruption of Santorini. On March 11, 2011, a tsunami occurred near Fukushima, Japan and spread through the Pacific Ocean.
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3D tsunami simulation A tsunami, also known as a seismic sea wave, is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, generally an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions (including detonations of underwater nuclear devices), landslides, glacier calvings, meteorite impacts and other disturbances above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. Tsunami waves do not resemble normal sea waves, because their wavelength is far longer. Rather than appearing as a breaking wave, a tsunami may instead initially resemble a rapidly rising tide, and for this reason they are often referred to as tidal waves.
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