Animation Research Ltd provided visualizations of several 'Mega Disasters' for National Geographic Television's 6 part tv series of the same name. In TSUNAMI, we generated a mega disaster scenario for Mauna Loa volcano causing a tsunami that devastates Honolulu.
Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions under the sea. Out in the depths of the ocean, tsunami waves do not dramatically increase in height. But as the waves travel inland, they build up to higher and higher heights as the depth of the ocean decreases. The speed of tsunami waves depends on ocean depth rather than the distance from the source of the wave. Tsunami waves may travel as fast as jet planes over deep waters, only slowing down when reaching shallow waters. While tsunamis are often referred to as tidal waves, this name is discouraged by oceanographers because tides have little to do with these giant waves. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was triggered by a 9.3 magnitude earthquake with the initial surge wave of the tsunami measuring 33 metres. It was the largest earthquake-generated tsunami in history. Certain places in the world are subject to earthquakes and tsunamis more than others as there are only seven tectonic plates covering the earth and the borders of these plates lie in certain areas.
