A TECHNICAL NOTE ON THE RECENT TSUNAMI IN THE INDIAN OCEAN

This article presents a brief description of the recent natural disaster in the form of the tsunami that occurred in Southeast Asia on 26 December 2004, killing more than 300,000 people in that region. The name tsunami is a Japanese scientific term that means harbor waves. In particular, it is defined as a seismic disturbance of the ocean, a great sea wave produced by a submarine, earth movement or volcanic eruption. It can also be described as a tidal wave caused by an earthquake or other disturbances. The effect of a tsunami is caused by the interaction of the solid and the liquid in violent oscillatory movements. Therefore, one must be familiar with both solid and fluid mechanics. In this article I will provide a brief mathematical background of how this devastating natural disaster can be related to the mathematical theories of solids and fluids