Answer:
Explanation: Tsunamis are just long waves — really long waves. But what is a wave? Sound waves, radio waves, even “the wave” in a stadium all have something in common with the waves that move across oceans. It takes an external force to start a wave, like dropping a rock into a pond or waves blowing across the sea. In the case of tsunamis, the forces involved are large — and their effects can be correspondingly massive.
A map of the Earth visualizing the expected tsunami wave heights from the March 2011 Honshu, Japan earthquake. The highest tsunamis are in the area immediately surrounding the earthquake, but tsunamis reached all the way across the Pacific Ocean to the North and South American coast.
Expected tsunami wave heights from the March 2011 Honshu, Japan undersea earthquake. (NOAA Center for Tsunami Research)
A tsunami is a series of extremely long waves caused by a large and sudden displacement of the ocean, usually the result of an earthquake below or near the ocean floor. This force creates waves that radiate outward in all directions away from their source, sometimes crossing entire ocean basins. Unlike wind-driven waves, which only travel through the topmost layer of the ocean, tsunamis move through the entire water column, from the ocean floor to the ocean surface.
