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CORVALLIS, Ore. -  An article about the causes, behavior, effects and how to survive a tsunami is now available for free on the web from an author and earthquake expert at Oregon State University.

The article, designed for a non-scientific audience, is one 23-page chapter of a book by Robert Yeats, "Living with Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest: A Survivor's Guide." It is available for viewing or download at http://bit.ly/gmG5xk as a publication in ScholarsArchive, a service of OSU Libraries.

The article explores the history of tsunamis in this region, their past impacts, how and why they form, how warning systems work, the difference between tsunamis caused by nearby and distant earthquakes, tsunami hazard maps, what people should do if a tsunami is imminent, and even the unusual phenomenon of "seiches," or lake water sloshing back and forth following an earthquake.

Yeats is one of the world's leading experts on earthquakes, their causes and effects. He was among the first scientists to suggest in the mid-1980s that great earthquakes are possible in the Pacific Northwest on the Cascadia Subduction Zone. It has a geological makeup very similar to that of the subduction zone that just caused a massive earthquake, tsunami and catastrophic damage in Japan.

More information on the book, published in 2004 by the Oregon State University Press, can be obtained online at http://bit.ly/9VxUch

It includes a broad range of information on crustal and subduction zone faults in the Pacific Northwest, earthquake science, earthquake insurance, soil liquefaction, earthquake preparedness steps, and other suggestions on how individuals can prepare themselves, their homes and property for earthquakes and tsunamis that are anticipated in the future in this region.