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Tsunami
When one thinks of all the natural disasters, that could effect the Maryland and
Washington D.C. area they often think of hurricanes and snowstorms. They often forget
about the possibility of a tsunami. A tsunami, often referred to as a "tidal wave", is a
wave train, or series of waves, generated in a body of water by an impulsive disturbance
that vertically displaces the water column. Being located on the Atlantic coastline the
possibility of a tsunami is very much a reality. But have you ever wanted to know what
can cause waves of this magnitude? 
Tsunamis are usually caused by earthquakes that occur on the seafloor or in coastal
areas. The energy generated by the earthquake is transmitted through the water. In deep
oceans the energy in these sea waves can travel unnoticed because the wave height may be
only twelve inches. When this energy reaches the shallow waters of coastlines, bays, or
harbors, it forces the water into a giant wave. Some tsunamis may reach heights of 100
feet or more.
Rarely but possibly cosmic collisions can cause a tsunami. Things like meteors or
asteroids impacting in the middle of the ocean will disturb the water from above. These
cosmic bodies will start a tsunami on its destructive course. No one has actually
witnessed such an event, except in the movie Deep Impact. But computer simulations show
that these giant tsunamis are indeed possible. 
Lastly, submarine landslides, which often accompany large earthquakes, can also disturb
the water as sediment and rock slump downslope and are redistributed across the sea
floor. When these large amounts of dirt, mud, or sand slides into the ocean it often
generates an uplift in the water causing a tsunami.
Earthquakes, cosmic collisions, and landslides are just few causes of a tsunami. Even
though the Maryland and Washington D.C. area are more likely to have a hurricane or a
snowstorm, we must not ever forget the constant threat of having a tsunami.