Tsunami Impact and Shore Slope Relationship
Title: Tsunami impact and shore slope relationship
Suggested prior lesson: What causes a tsunami?
Suggested follow lesson: Graphing tsunamis- data applications
Grade level : 7-9
Unit : Tectonics, Natural Hazards, Emergency preparedness
Time required: 45 minutes for activity, plus additional for
discussion.
Abstract:
Tsunamis remain a significant hazard to coastal communities and are infamous for causing catastrophic damage to the areas in which
they hit. In this lesson, students conduct experiments to determine how shore slope affects the overall impact of a tsunami strike.
This lesson involves simulating tsunamis using small containers and model communities. Students will fill containers with water and
install a plastic slope at differing heights using tinfoil spacers (to create a steep shore and a shallow shore) and then use a piece of
material to push a wave at the shore. Students will compare the impacts of the tsunami on both shores. The lesson concludes with a
discussion of the impacts and of tsunamis, and the results of the experiment.
Prior knowledge/ background for students
Students should have a prior understanding of tectonic processes and plate tectonics, specifically about plate movement and
earthquakes that contribute to earthquakes. Students will also benefit from prior experience conducting and recording experiments.
Objectives
 To explore the effect of tsunamis on different
shore slopes
 To consider the before and after implications of a
tsunami strike in a populated area.
 to create a before and after comparison of
tsunami affected area
 To explore data collected by NEPTUNE Canada
and VENUS during the 2011 tsunamis and
earthquake in Japan.
Materials
 Shallow plastic containers, (40
cm X 20 cm X 15 cm) or larger.
One per pair of students
 Plastic cutting board that fits
into the container to act as a
slope
 Tinfoil to support the slope
angles
 Plastic cutting board to create
tsunami OR 2 balloons
 Pieces for a mock community
(LEGO, Monopoly or other)
Attachments
 Tsunami fact sheets
 Student work sheet
 Student work sheet
suggested Key
Suggested introductory questions /”Hook”:
Direct your students to think about what they know about tsunamis. A number of suggestion are listed below:
 Consider showing video footage of the 2011 tsunami in Japan or the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia. Extensive footage of both
Tsunamis is available on YouTube, but they are often incredibly graphic in destruction of property and loss of life.
 If video footage is not available, consider showing still imagery of a tsunami, and discussing what they students think
happened before and after the image was taken.
After hooking your students in, help them better understand the differences between a tsunami and any other waves. Key features
are highlighted below:
 Tsunami means “harbor wave” in Japanese, but they are actually a SERIES of waves caused by the displacement of water
 A tsunami is different from a normal wave because the whole water column is moving. This means that all of the water from
the surface to the sea floor is in motion (due to an earthquake or landslide), rather than the top few feet.
 Tsunamis can travel faster than commercial jets, covering thousands of miles in just a few hours. They can go as fast as
800km/h.
 Tsunamis are extremely difficult to detect on the open ocean because they don’t crest into a classic wave shape until they
reach shore. This is because the front of the wave slows down as the water gets shallow, but the back of the wave continues
at normal speed. This causes the water to ‘rear-up’ into the famous wall of water.
Focus your students into thinking about the final point and ask them to consider the question: “How does the shape of the shore line
change the overall impact of a tsunami?”
Prepared by Monika Pelz, Ocean Networks Canada 2013
Tsunami Impact and Shore Slope Relationship
Activity outline/ suggested procedure
1. Divide students into groups and let each group have a container, tinfoil, slope, community pieces and wave maker
2. Use the tinfoil to create a platform for the slope to rest on. Then fill the container 1/3 up with water.
DELIVERY HINT: As students are waiting to fill their containers, have them brainstorm the impact
of tsunamis (see impact of tsunamis sheet)
3. Measure the angle of the slope and use the LEGO/monopoly houses to create a community.
4. Place a second piece of plastic in the opposite end of the container, standing on end like a divider, touching the bottom.
5. Pull the divider forward towards the shore in one smooth motion (as if you were making the container smaller). Try and use
the same amount of force you would use to close a door, not to hard and not too gentle. The object of the activity is to
create a large smooth wave, not to slosh all the water out of the container.
*optional* you can create a tsunami by blowing up a balloon and placing it beneath the surface of the water. Then popping
it with a pin – remember though, the balloons need to have the same circumference for the other slopes in order to get
accurate results.
6. Record the results of your tsunami, focusing on the impact with the shore and any movement of the mock community.
7. Repeat the experiment from step 2, replacing the steep shore with a shallow gentle shore. For more accurate results, try and
place your community exactly where it was the first trial of the experiment.
DELIVERY HINT: You can put some images from previous tsunamis to help students better visualize the
potential impacts of tsunamis.
Suggested summary
 Discuss with the students the differences in the two slopes. Focus on the differences between the two slopes (the shallow
gradual slope floods, where the steep shore has a high impact)
 Discuss areas with specific shore line (one steep and one shallow) and how this would be affected by a tsunami
 Recap the worksheet. Allow students to change their worksheets based on the results of the experiment.
 Have the students consider what kind of prevention or response systems need to be in place to protect coastal communities
in tsunami areas.
Assessment options
 Assess how the students control and manipulate variables (the location of the community, force of the wave, resetting the
experiment)
 Collect the worksheet and asses for understanding of dangers and impacts, before, during and after the tsunami
 Record discussion and summary answers, to determine if students recognize the impact of tsunami impacts.
Suggested additional reading, links, further information and connections.
 Ocean Networks Canada http://www.onccee.ca/
 Stewart, I. (Presenter) (2000). 10 things you didn't know about tsunamis [Television series episode]. In Lerner, B. (Executive
Producer), 10 things you didn't know about Tsunamis. BBC. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd1Uak_kdE
 Provincial (B.C) tsunami risk assessment: http://embc.gov.bc.ca/em/hazard_preparedness/Tsunami_Fact_Sheettypes_of_tsunamis.pdf
Notes:
Prepared by Monika Pelz, Ocean Networks Canada 2013