For up-to-date tsunami warning information, go to tsunami.gov/ (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

Information about tsunamis is available at www.noaa.gov/tsunamis.html (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), www.fema.gov/kids/tsunami.htm (Federal Emergency Management Agency), and www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/tsunami/index.html (PBS).

News stories about the effects of the Indian Ocean tsunami can be found at www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2004/s2358.htm and www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/s2362.htm (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

The Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory tsunami research program has a Web page at www.pmel.noaa.gov/tsunami/ (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).

Information for kids about earthquakes can be found at earthquake.usgs.gov/4kids/ (U.S. Geological Survey).

Brown, Kathryn. 2000. Tsunami! At Lake Tahoe? Science News 157(June 10):378-379. Available at http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20000610/bob9.asp .

Monastersky, Rich. 1999. Seabed slide blamed for deadly tsunami. Science News 156(Aug. 14):100. Available at http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/sn_arc99/8_14_99/fob2.htm .

______. 1998. Waves of death. Science News 154(Oct. 3):221-223. Available at http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/sn_arc98/10_3_98/bob2.htm .

______. 1998. How a middling quake made a giant tsunami. Science News 154(Aug. 1):69. Available at http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/sn_arc98/8_1_98/fob3.htm .

Perkins, Sid. 2004. Killer waves. Science News 165(March 6):152-153. Available at http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20040306/bob8.asp .

______. 2004. Catching waves: Ocean-surface changes may mark tsunamis. Science News 165(Feb. 21):116. Available at http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20040221/fob3.asp .

Sohn, Emily. 2005. Digging into a tsunami disaster. Science News for Kids (Jan. 12). Available at http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20050112/Note2.asp .

Books recommended by SearchIt!Science:

Tsunami: Monster Waves — Mary Dodson Wade Published by Enslow Publishers, 2002. Experience the awesome and terrifying destruction of tsunami. Imagine a "monstrous wall of water" moving at speeds up to 500 miles per hour. The force of a tsunami is so powerful it can cause earthquakes. In an instant, concrete-reinforced buildings can be completely leveled. What can we learn from the tragedy of tsunami? Hear survivors describe their experiences. A chart includes information about specific tsunami disasters.

Powerful Waves — Dorothy M. Souza Published by Carolrhoda Books/Lerner Publishing, 1992. If you've been to the ocean, you know that the water crashes to the shore in waves, one following the other. Sometimes the waves are gentle and sometimes they foam and churn. The average wave travels at a speed of about 35 miles per hour. But one kind of wave, a tsunami, reaches speeds of 600 miles per hour. When tsunamis crash on to the shore, their powerful force destroys everything in their path. While waves are caused by the movements of the tides and the winds, tsunamis are caused by earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, or avalanches out at sea. Some of the worst disasters in history are the result of tsunamis. Color photographs plus color and black-and-white drawings and diagrams explore how gentle waves and powerful waves form. Some incredible photographs show tsunami waves approaching the shoreline and the devastation they leave behind. There is an explanation of how early warning systems work and some safety tips, along with a list of unusual tsunami events.

Dangerous Planet: Natural Disasters That Changed History — Bryn Barnard Published by Crown Publishers/Random House, 2003. "Did a giant wave usher in the rise of Greek civilization? Did a snowstorm help create the New York City subway system?" This compilation of nine disaster stories doesn't focus on the biggest or deadliest disasters ever. Rather, it looks at the disasters that shaped history and changed the world as we know it. Learn about the meteorite that wiped out the dinosaurs, the tsunami that devastated Minoan civilization, and the drought that ruined the kingdom of Aksum. Find out how two great storms saved Japan from conquest by the Mongols, discover how a hailstorm changed French history, and learn about how the 1816 eruption of Mount Tambora impacted the world by lowering global temperatures. Filled with vivid illustrations and helpful maps, this book also tells the tales of the Great Fire of London, the Blizzard of 1888, and the Great Kanto Quake. A final section discusses the future of disasters, explaining how overpopulation and climate change will make for more disasters in the years to come.

earthquake A sudden movement of the Earth's crust. Earthquakes usually occur along cracks in the crust known as faults. They also happen in areas where large sections of the outer part of the Earth, known as plates, rub against each other.

In an earthquake, one section of the Earth's crust moves in relation to another section along the line of a fault. Earthquakes can cause serious damage to buildings and roads.

fault A long crack in a rock along which the two sides of the rock slide past each other, pull away from each other, or push against each other. Earthquakes often happen where there are faults.

plate In the theory of plate tectonics, one of the sections of the upper layer of the Earth, known as the lithosphere, that move slowly over the Earth's inner layers. The continents ride piggy-back on the plates. The jostling and separation of the plates cause earthquakes and volcanoes.

tsunami A very large ocean wave that is caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption. A tsunami often causes great destruction when it strikes land.

Copyright © 2002, 2003 Houghton-Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Used with permission.