Name: ___________________________________

Section Day/Time: _________________________

Name of your TA _________________

EARTH 20 –
Assignment 4: Volcanoes, Part II and Tsunami
1.
a. What is the essential element for creating a tsunami? (Hint: The answer is not simply
“water.”)

b. List the three primary causes of a tsunami (not including extraterrestrial impacts).

2. The velocity (or speed) of a tsunami, vtsu, is given by the following: vtsu=(g·D)1/2, where g=9.8
[m/s2] is the gravitational acceleration at the Earth's surface and D is the ocean depth. For an
ocean depth of D= 4.0 km, at what speed would a tsunami travel? Report your answer to two
significant figures and in [km/hr].

3. Which body of water has the largest number of tsunami? Why?

4. What was the magnitude of the Sumatra earthquake? Why did so many people continue to die from
the tsunami for 5 – 12 hours after the earthquake?

5. Why are tsunami something we should be concerned about in Santa Barbara? Have tsunami hit
here before?

6. How do earthquakes cause a tsunami? (Page 102 text)

7. What are the 4 stages that eventually lead to landfall of tsunami waves on the shore? Briefly
explain each stage.

8. How do landslides cause tsunami? (Pg 105 text)

9.
a. Which of the following is the most explosive: Mauna Loa in Hawaii, Mount St. Helens, or
the Yellowstone Caldera? Why?

b. Which is the second most explosive? Why?

10. Primary Effects of Volcanoes. Describe two of the primary effects of volcanoes and a type of
volcano they are associated with.
11. Secondary Effects of Volcanoes. Describe two of the secondary effects of volcanoes.
12. Volcano Explosivity Index (VEI). Fill in the following Table:

Eruption Typical Eruption Plume Ejecta Eruption VEI

Types Volcano Behavior Heights Volume Examples
Types (m or (m3 or
km) km3)
Hawaiian

Strombolian-
Vulcanian

Pelean

Plinian

Plinian
Ultra-Plinian

Supervolcanic