The massive security operation surrounding Barack Obama's inauguration showed that he will be the most protected president in the history of the United States. Photo: REUTERS.
The physics of a tsunami. Tsunamis can have wavelengths ranging from 10 to 500 km and wave periods of up to an hour. As a result of their long wavelengths, tsunamis act as shallow-water waves. A wave becomes a shallow-water wave when the wavelength is very large compared to the water depth. where g is the acceleration due to gravity (= 9.8 m/s2) and H is the depth of water.
There are various factors that determine how far inland a tsunami can go. Here is a list of factors involved: The terrain of the land and the height of the tsunami wave. If the land is mountainous the tsunami would probably not go very far; however, if it is lowland, it may wash inland for several kilometers.Another important factor in a tsunami is the volume of water displaced. It is not the height of a tsunami that gives it momentum over land, but the length.The angle at which the tsunami reaches land and the geographical shape of the coastline: A concave coastline will suffer more damage than a convex coastline that can deflect the water movement.t is not the height of a tsunami that gives it momentum over land, but the length. The angle at which the tsunami reaches land and the geographical shape of the coastline: A concave coastline will suffer more damage than a convex coastline that can deflect the water movement.