Geography & Earth
Intermediate

Tsunami Wave Speed

Speed of a shallow-water wave across the ocean.

Formula

v=g dv = \sqrt{g\,d}

Variables

gGravity
dWater depth

Example

4000 m deep ocean ⇒ v ≈ 198 m/s (~710 km/h)

Did You Know?

In the open ocean a tsunami races as fast as a jet airliner, yet is barely a ripple until it rears up near shore.

tsunamiwavesocean