Sport of Reading 01 - Purple

One of nature's most DEVASTATING forces is the TSUNAMI, or tidal wave. The destructive force of a tidal wave can match in fury any other CATASTROPHE of nature. To describe tsunami, the term "tidal wave" is misleading. Tsunami are caused not by the tides but by an earthquake, or volcanic eruption under the sea, or by a hurricane far out in the ocean.

Tidal waves can travel thousands of miles, at speeds between four hundred and five hundred miles an hour. They move as a series of peaks and troughs.

When a tsunami strikes land, successive waves pile upon the shore. This causes waves to develop which have been known to reach a height of one hundred feet. You could think of a tidal wave as an express train as high as an apartment house traveling with the speed of a jet airliner.