Grade 6 - Science - How does the Earth change over time?: Tsunamis

Discover what earthquakes are and how they are caused; Find out how scientists measure earthquakes, and what makes some earthquakes so much more destructive than others.

Tsunamis are huge waves that move very quickly and cause great destruction. Readers will learn how people predict and prepare for tsunamis and how they survive after one of these giant waves hits.

"The Fukushima nuclear power plant was seriously damaged by a tsunami in 2011. Today, environmental problems continue, showing just how far-reaching damage from the massive waves of a tsunami can be.

Earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis. Headline-making natural disasters with devastating consequences for millions of people. But what do we actually know about these literally earth-shaking events?

Essential Events explores historic happenings around the globe and how those events have sculpted societies, the sciences, and politics.

Essential Events explores historic happenings around the globe and how those events have sculpted societies, the sciences, and politics.

Japan. March 11, 2011. 2:46 P.M. The biggest earthquake in Japan's history--and one of the world's five most powerful since 1900--devastated the Tohoku region, 320 kilometers (200 miles) northeast of Tokyo. It triggered a huge tsunami that left crippling damage in its wake. More than 13,000 people drowned, and thousands of buildings and homes were reduced to rubble.

Tsunamis are unstoppable forces of nature. Learn why tsunamis occur, how the Tsunami Warning System works, and how to survive a tsunami. Where historic tsunamis occurred, including Indonesia in 2004, Chile in 2010, and Japan's Hokkaido island in 2001, are also discussed.