Friday, October 21, 2005
Stop # 3
Pacific Tsunami Museum - Hilo
The Pacific Tsunami Museum is located in downtown Hilo, about one block north of the Mokupapapa Discovery Center. It featured many exhibits on the history of tsunamis in the pacific and especially focused on tsunamis in Hawaii. We listened to a lecture from Donna Saiki, where we learned about Hawaii's history with tsunamis.
A tsunami is a series of waves that are much larger than average and often have devastating effects on coastlines. Most often they are generated by a large displacement of water created by slip fault movement. The waves can have up to 100 miles between crests and move at a rate of 500 miles per hour.
A tsunami created by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Alaska in 1946 was the most devastating tsunami in recent history. At some places on the islands, waves went upland more than half a mile. A total of 159 people lost their lives.
Since this time, technology has changed and there is a tsunami warning system now in place. Tsunometers placed around the Pacific ocean detect pressure changes at the seafloor. Any drastic changes are sent to a buoy directly above at the surface that can use satellite to notify facilities on land.
Donna Saiki giving her presentation about the history of tsunamis in Hawaii. This particular graphic shows the time it takes a tsunami to reach Hawaii from its origin point.
The class listening intently to Donna's talk.
The Cook-Murakami Story is one of many exhibits in the museum. It tells the tale of a Navy crewman rescuing a Japanese boy after the 1946 tsunami. The two never knew what happened to the other until they met at the museum in 2003.
This is a memorial to those who lost their lives in the 1946 tsunami at an elementary school north of Hilo.