What are the causes behind the tsunamis?
The most common cause is an undersea earthquake. Tsunamis can also be caused by very large avalanches into the ocean, volcanic eruptions, by a large meteorite impact in the ocean. What causes a tsunami?… A tsunami is a large ocean wave that is caused by sudden motion on the ocean floor. This sudden motion could be an earthquake, a powerful volcanic eruption, or an underwater landslide. The impact of a large meteorite could also cause a tsunami. Tsunamis travel across the open ocean at great speeds and build into large deadly waves in the shallow water of a shoreline. Subduction Zones are Potential Tsunami Locations Most tsunamis are caused by earthquakes generated in a subduction zone, an area where an oceanic plate is being forced down into the mantle by plate tectonic forces. The friction between the subducting plate and the overriding plate is enormous. This friction prevents a slow and steady rate of subduction and instead the two plates become “stuck”. As the stuck plate continu
A tsunami (pronounced /tsuːˈnɑːmi/) is a series of waves created when a body of water, such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced. Earthquakes, mass movements above or below water, some volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions, landslides, underwater earthquakes, large asteroid impacts and testing with nuclear weapons at sea all have the potential to generate a tsunami. The effects of a tsunami can be devastating due to the immense volumes of water and energy involved. Since meteorites are small, they will not generate a tsunami. The Greek historian Thucydides was the first to relate tsunamis to submarine quakes,[1] [2] but understanding of the nature of tsunamis remained slim until the 20th century and is the subject of ongoing research. Many early geological, geographic, oceanographic etc; texts refer to “Seismic sea waves” – these are now referred to as “tsunami.” Some meteorological storm conditions – deep depressions causing cyclones, hurricanes; can generate a storm surge w
