Posted on Oct. 6: Disasters waiting to happen: earthquakes, tsunamis and El Nino

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Goffslide.jpg” caption=”Effect of tsunamis “]Imagine you're sunning yourself on one of New Zealand's beautiful beaches. Suddenly, the sand shifts beneath your body and the ground begins to shake it's an earthquake.

Now imagine this. You might have as little as 60 seconds, minutes at most, to escape the coast before a tsunami hits.

Tsunamis a series of fast-moving waves generated by large disturbances below or near the sea floor such as underwater earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, meteors have caused massive destruction in many parts of the world. James Goff, adjunct professor of Marine Sciences at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and honorary research associate at the University of Auckland and Victoria University of Wellington , is a leading edge tsunami researcher based in New Zealand.

Goff has researched the linkages between earthquakes and tsunamis and the catastrophes that have occured when these disasters are washed down with a dose of El Nino.

Goff has offered to deliver a free pubic lecture tonight (Monday) that will take place in the Hamilton Spectator Auditorium. Entitled An Unfortunate Coincidence: Earthquakes and El Nino Don't Mix Tales from New Zealand , Goff's lecture will explore the destruction caused by tsunamis ranging from one metre to 15 metres in size to evidence of a 15th century tsunami that was at least 60 metres high.

Goff guest lectured on tsunamis to the students in the Natural Disasters course (Geography 2GG3,) last week. Tonight's lecture will look at the bigger picture story of tsunamis and a whole suite of seismically related disasters.

The Hamilton Spectator Auditorium is located at 44 Frid Street. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the lecture begins at 7 p.m. The lecture is free and all are welcome.

Photo caption: This photo, which illustrates the effects of a large-scale tsunami, is one of several slides Goff will use in his presentation tonight.

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[img_inline align="right" src="http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Goffslide.jpg" caption="Effect of tsunamis "]Imagine you&#039;re sunning yourself on one of New Zealand&#039;s beautiful beaches. Suddenly, the sand shifts beneath your body and the ground begins to shake  it&#039;s an earthquake. <p><br />
<br />
Now imagine this. You might have as little as 60 seconds, minutes at most, to escape the coast before a tsunami hits.<p><br />
<br />
Tsunamis  a series of fast-moving waves generated by large disturbances below or near the sea floor such as underwater earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, meteors  have caused massive destruction in many parts of the world. James Goff, adjunct professor of Marine Sciences at the <a href="http://www.uhh.hawaii.edu/"> University of Hawaii at Hilo</a> and honorary research associate at the <a href="http://www.auckland.ac.nz/">University of Auckland </a> and <a href="http://www.vuw.ac.nz/home/index.asp">Victoria University of Wellington </a>, is a leading edge tsunami researcher based in New Zealand.<p><br />
<br />
Goff has researched the linkages between earthquakes and tsunamis and the catastrophes that have occured when these disasters are washed down with a dose of El Nino. <p><br />
<br />
Goff has offered to deliver a free pubic lecture tonight (Monday) that will take place in the Hamilton Spectator Auditorium.  Entitled <i>An Unfortunate Coincidence: Earthquakes and El Nino Don&#039;t Mix  Tales from New Zealand </i>, Goff&#039;s lecture will explore the destruction caused by tsunamis ranging from one metre to 15 metres in size to evidence of a 15th century tsunami that was at least 60 metres high.<p><br />
<br />
Goff guest lectured on tsunamis to the students in the Natural Disasters course (<a href="http://www.science.mcmaster.ca/geo/undergraduate/courses/secondyear/geo2gg3/index.html">Geography 2GG3,</a>) last week. Tonight&#039;s lecture will look at the bigger picture story of tsunamis and a whole suite of seismically related disasters.<p><br />
<br />
The Hamilton Spectator Auditorium is located at 44 Frid Street. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the lecture begins at 7 p.m. The lecture is free and all are welcome.<p><br />
<br />
<i>Photo caption: This photo, which illustrates the effects of a large-scale tsunami, is one of several slides Goff will use in his presentation tonight. </i>

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