| Common Student Error | Correct Answer Key Concept | | :--- | :--- | | Confusing tsunami wave height with amplitude in deep ocean. | Deep-ocean amplitude = ~60 cm; runup height is the wave climbing the shore. | | Assuming all coastlines receive the same wave height. | Refraction, reflection, and local bathymetry create vast differences. | | Calculating P-S interval incorrectly due to misreading the seismogram's time axis. | Always use the first deflection of P-wave (sharp upward spike) and first large swing of S-wave. | | Forgetting that the tsunami is a series of waves (first wave not always largest). | Answer key: The third or fourth wave was often the highest in 2004. | | Using epicenter distance instead of "travel path along ocean floor." | Energy follows great circle routes, not straight lines on a flat map. |
The actual point inside the Earth where the rupture begins. Sumatra Earthquake And Tsunami Lab Answer Key