A giant wave at least 5 people killed and 7 injured at a beach restaurant in the province KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa. The video shows people initially surprised by the sight, but then panic erupts as the water begins to smash several people against the walls at the back of the room, sweeping others away again. In the sea.
Rescue forces acted quickly, preventing an even greater increase in the number of victims. This is not the first such event in the area, so authorities have already warned the population and tourists. so they don’t swim on the beach. But what’s going on? Why do these coastal phenomena occur?
To answer this question, the first thing we must take into account is that a giant wave It’s not the same as a tsunami. At least not necessarily. In general, the origin of tsunamis is very different from that of normal waves, although they can also cause a lot of damage, as we saw in South Africa.
Terror in South Africa
A giant wave rocked the restaurant on Sunday. September 17However, more similar events took place around Cape Town over the weekend.
Some media reports about five dead, others about five seriously injured. In the absence of official data, one thing is clear: the giant wave caused panic in the restaurant. But how did this happen?
Some climate experts believe this is due to spring splash. We must not forget that South Africa is in the southern hemisphere and that the start of spring is just a few days away. Some climate events this season are already wreaking havoc, so the population has been warned to avoid further casualties and property damage.
What is the difference between a giant wave and a tsunami?
The main difference between a giant wave and a tsunami is that waves, giant or not, are formed wind action, and tsunamis are the result of the movement of ocean plates. Let’s see what this all means.
Let’s start with the fact that waves are not formed simply because the wind drives the water and that’s it. Several factors must come together. Firstly, it generates pressure change in the air, which lowers the surface of the water slightly. This creates a force around it, similar to what happens when we put a toy in a bucket of water and see it move. However, in this case there is no object.
When an imbalance occurs, the water that sank goes up againto restore the imbalance. But the vertical speed causes it to rise above its original position. This creates a vertical movement that can now be moved by the wind. horizontal direction. We already have waves. The greater the change in pressure, the larger the wave will be, and the stronger the wind, the stronger it will move. There we would have the difference between a giant wave and a smaller one.
Tsunami is another matter. The crust of our planet consists of a series dishes in constant motion. This causes their edges to rub or even some to move over or under the other. These are movements that gradually generate tension that can suddenly release, causing earthquakes.
Now, if these stresses occur on plates under the oceans, released energy causes movement of the entire water column. It will be a tsunami. Most normally, it occurs due to earthquakes, although it can also occur due to other strong phenomena that shake oceanic plates, such as a meteorite falling into the sea.
There are big differences between tsunamis and waves, even giant waves. The first thing that catches your eye the most is wave spacing. In both cases these are waves that form in the water, so it will not be an isolated crest, but rather a series of waves that repeat periodically. In the case of waves, the distance between them is approximately 100 meters. On the other hand, a tsunami hundreds of kilometers.
Another big difference is that waves are formed higher and tsunami below. That is, waves are generated on the surface due to changes in pressure, which we have already seen. On the other hand, tsunamis are caused by the movement of crustal plates under water. Therefore, the waves affect only a few tens of meters, from the surface down, and a tsunami They act on the entire water columnhence his violence.
What is a storm surge occurring in South Africa?
South African authorities and climate experts explained that the giant wave was the result of spring splash.
By definition, a storm surge is violent movement of large waves. This can happen for many reasons. They very often accompany storms, during which there is a large drop in atmospheric pressure, causing all the phenomena that we have already seen.
South Africa is currently experiencing one of these climate events as we move into spring. A huge drop in pressure that fills the seas with dangerous giant waves. There is no way around this, so the only thing to do is notify the population, to avoid a greater evil like the coastal restaurant. The authorities have already done this, now all that remains is to wait.
Source: Hiper Textual
