[Vicky.]

Just watching tsunami vids on youtube, this one particularly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ikus_TEaGI

How on earth does a tsunami end? I have been looking on google, and apparently 'the big waves just stop coming'...which I obviously had gathered( ), but does all the water that has come out from the sea, just kinda get sucked back in? Like when the tide goes back in but on a bigger scale? Or does it just stay there and have to be drained?

Sorry for all the strange threads today

[Patrick]

Wondered this to.

I think it just kind of dries up? But that would take too long.
I suppose it's like a tide, it goes in and comes out again - it probably be's pulled back out to the sea by a higher current coming from another direction basically.

[Pyramid*]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

Just watching tsunami vids on youtube, this one particularly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ikus_TEaGI

How on earth does a tsunami end? I have been looking on google, and apparently 'the big waves just stop coming'...which I obviously had gathered( ), but does all the water that has come out from the sea, just kinda get sucked back in? Like when the tide goes back in but on a bigger scale? Or does it just stay there and have to be drained?

Sorry for all the strange threads today

I'd hazard a guess that it's a mixture of things. Some water flow back, some drainage once the drainage system gets back into action again, natural land seepage, evaporation, and manual pumping - and excess water finding it's way to natural rivers etc, to meet back eventually to the ocean again.

[Joelle.]

-has no idea-

Do the waves just stop completely for a bit while the water drains back into the sea?

[Shasown]

Water finds its own level, so will drain overland, will also drain following normal natural and man made drainage systems.

[Vicky.]

Another one that has just come to me...when there is a massive one, like in japan, does the sea level everywhere else go down? The water must come from somewhere.

As devastating as they are, I gotta admit I absolutely love natural disasters. They make me think a lot

[Pyramid*]

Originally Posted by Shasown

Water finds its own level, so will drain overland, will also drain following normal natural and man made drainage systems.

yeah... I was right!!

[Vicky.]

-Off to read some tsunami explained in massive detail sites-

[King Gizzard]

Ask Michael Fish

[Shasown]

Originally Posted by Vicky.

Another one that has just come to me...when there is a massive one, like in japan, does the sea level everywhere else go down? The water must come from somewhere.

As devastating as they are, I gotta admit I absolutely love natural disasters. They make me think a lot

Technically the displaced water comes from the sea, so yes sea levels around the world would drop a very small amount given the amount of water in the sea.

One other thing to consider is the water itself in the ocean doesnt really move far, its up against more water so its simply a transference of energy for the most part until the energy wave contained in the water reaches an area of land, then it doesnt have resistance against itself so the water flows over the land.

[Benjamin]

Vicky, imagine when you spill a drink on a table and picture the table being land. The water rolls over the table and then finds a way to drain itself off and level out (by going over the edge of the table). Say the edge of the table is the sea, the drink/water slowly drains off. In the case of a Tsunami, the water recedes.

I know Tsunami's are more complex to explain but this is the easiest way I could describe it.

[Vicky.]

I spent most of the night reading up about this

And am now going to thoroughly s**t myself next time Im at the beach and the tide goes out