Another tsunami

[sweet angel]

MSNBC article

Can someone explain this to me? It says a 6-foot wave -- that doesn't seem too big to me. Certainly doesn't seem capable of wiping out buildings. Another article says something about waves of up to 7" seen near the Coco Islands.

Am I misunderstanding? Is it NOT a 6-foot WAVE, but maybe a 6-foot WALL OF WATER?

Help 'splain to me! Thanks.

 

[HaleyB]

It is not the hight but the speed and length of the wave that causes the damage. A normal 6 foot wave might move at 15 miles per hour and the base might be 300 feet long. A tsunamis even if only 6 feet high might move at 500 mph and have a base 300,000 feet wide. So we are talking about a huge amount of water moving very quickly.

So it is not a wave, but a wall of water.

 

[sweet angel]

Got it...thanks.