Purdue Exponent News Article

Professor explains tsunami misconceptions

By Muhammad Al-Jundub
Staff Writer

Professor Lawrence Braile of the department of earth and atmospheric sciences spoke Monday on the tsunami catastrophe in Southeast Asia. Braile gave scientific explanations of how tsunamis form and explained common public misconceptions regarding tsunamis in general. "A couple of reports initially talked about the fact that tsunamis aren't normal in the Indian Ocean," said Braile. "That was really a mistake." Braile demonstrated that earthquake activity and tsunamis are actually very common in Indonesia and nearby areas, which have a 20 to 50 percent greater chance of experiencing the weather phenomena than the rest of the world. (Full Story)