An undersea earthquake disturbs the seabed and causes powerful waves to move out very quickly in all directions.
3 3
A tsunami can devastate low-lying coastal areas.
2 The sea waves become much higher
as they approach shallow waters near the coast. They can be up to 30 metres high – that's as high as a 10-storey building! – as they crash onto the shore.
Managing information and thinking:
On St Stephen’s Day, 2004, a giant tsunami struck and devastated part of the coast of Indonesia.
First, locate Indonesia using an atlas or Google Maps. Then study this photograph for two minutes. Imagine that you are a local fisherman who lived in one of the homes
destroyed in this picture. Write a paragraph to explain what you are feeling and how this has impacted on you. When finished, swap with a classmate and read their work.
