LA, Istanbul Face Higher Tsunami Risk Than Expected

A new study has revealed that the risk of destructive tsunamis is in places such as Kingston, Istanbul, and Los Angeles.

Geologists studying the Haiti earthquake have said that like Haiti's capital, these cities too lie near the coast. They are near an active geologic feature called a strike-slip fault where two tectonic plates slide past each other like two hands rubbing against each other.

Research Says Sri Lankan Children Affected by War, Tsunami, Daily Stressors
It is not the stressful events alone that contributed to the youths' psychological health, but also daily stressors like domestic violence that are exacerbated by traumatic events

This latest research has suggested even a moderate earthquake on a strike-slip fault can generate tsunamis through submarine landslides, raising the overall tsunami risk in these places.

"The scary part about that is you do not need a large earthquake to trigger a large tsunami," Matt Hornbach of the University of Texas said.

"Organizations that issue tsunami warnings usually look for large earthquakes on thrust faults. Now we see you don't necessarily need those things. A moderate earthquake on a strike-slip fault can still be cause for alarm," said Hornbach.

Tree Belt No Protection Against Tsunami
Trees all along a coast need not necessarily protect it against a tsunami fury. In fact, planting alien trees along exposed coastlines will do more harm than good.

Within minutes after the magnitude 7 Haiti earthquake, a series of tsunami waves, some as high as 9 feet (3 meters), crashed into parts of the shoreline.

A few weeks later, a team of scientists from the U.S. and Haiti conducted geological field surveys of sites on and offshore near the quake's epicenter.

People Still Not Prepared to Face Tsunami Even After 5 Years
Experts have determined that even after five years of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that struck Indonesia.

The scientists determined the tsunamis were generated primarily by weak sediment at the shore that collapsed and slid along the seafloor, displacing the overlying water.

Combined with newly discovered evidence of historic tsunamis, the survey revealed a third of all tsunamis in the area are generated in this way.

Report Says Diabetes Treatment Costs are 'an Economic Tsunami'
The Canadian Diabetes Association has said that the cost of diabetes treatment is expected to be $12.2 billion in 2010.

"We found that tsunamis around Haiti are about 10 times more likely to be generated in this way than we would have expected," said Hornbach.

The findings were published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Source-ANI