On Jan. 15, a tsunami warning went out to residents of British Columbia and the west coast of the United States. The warning was issued after the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai volcano in Tonga in the Southwest Pacific.
Tsunami literally means “harbour wave” in Japanese — a tsunami comprises a series of waves separated by 10 to 60 minutes. While wind waves reach a maximum height and later crash, a tsunami wave is a massive water mass moving with great height and speed, bringing debris and boulders from the bottom of the ocean with it. The force of this water wall can have enough force to knock down an adult, move cars and destroy buildings that aren’t tsunami-proof.
