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If the first part of a tsunami to reach land is a trough-called a drawback-rather than a wave crest, the water along the shoreline recedes dramatically, exposing normally submerged areas.

A drawback occurs because the water propagates outwards with the trough of the wave at its front. Drawback begins before the wave arrives at an interval equal to half of the wave's period. Drawback can exceed hundreds of metres, and people unaware of the danger sometimes remain near the shore to satisfy their curiosity or to collect fish from the exposed seabed. During the Indian ocean tsunami, the sea withdrew and many people went onto the exposed sea bed to investigate.[citation needed] Photos show people walking on the normally submerged areas with the advancing wave in the background.[citation needed] Few survived.[citation needed]

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14y ago

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