INTRODUCTION A tsunami is a natural phenomenon consisting of a series of waves generated when water in a lake or the sea is rapidly displaced on a massive scale. Earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions and large meteorite impacts all have the potential to generate a tsunami. The effects of a tsunami can range from unnoticeable phenomenon to large scale devastation. The term "tsunami" is derived from the Japanese language meaning harbour 'tsu") and wave ("nami"). The term was coined by fishermen who returned to port to find the area surrounding the harbour devastated, although they had not been aware of any wave on the high seas. A tsunami is not a sub-surface event in the deep ocean; it simply has a much smaller amplitude (wave heights offshore, and a ery long wavelength (often hundreds of kilometers long), which is why they enerally pass unnoticed at sea, forming only a passing "hump" in the ocean. Tsunamis were historically referred to as tidal waves because when they pproach land they take on the characteristics of a violent onrushing tide rather han the sort of cresting waves that are formed by wind action upon the ocean (with which people are more familiar). However, since they are not actually related to