2007-01-05 01:35:36 · 11 answers · asked by lozza 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
A tsunami is simply the term for a giant wave. There are three known causes.
Earthquakes, landslips and accumulation waves.
Earthquakes - Earthquakes under the sea on their own do not cause tsunamies. What has to happen to cause a tsunami is that a large amount of the sea bed has to sink, rise or perhaps move sideways at considerable speed. You can therefore have a large submarine quake and no tsunami and a moderate quake that produces one. A lot depends on the nature of the submarine geology in the area.
Landslips - These tsunamies are usually caused when the side of a volcanic cone or island collapses into the sea displacing b1llions of tons of water. The Island of La Palma in the Canary Islands of the coast of Morrocco is forecast to cause a major tsunami at some time in the future as a large section of it's flank shows a developing crack and land slippage. It may happen soon or take hundreds or thousands of years. When it does happen it is forecast to cause a tsunami that will devestate the coast of the United states.
Accumulation waves - These were thought to be rare but modern science now thinks that they are fairly common but tend to happen away from shipping routes so that it is only a wave on a shipping route that gets seen. These tsunamis are caused when waves catch up with each other and become compressed into one giant wave. Whilst they can be a real danger to ships and boats at sea they pose little danger to the coast.
2007-01-08 23:57:12 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A tsunami is caused simply by displacing water in a sudden, rapid event. When an earthquake happens under water, sometimes the plate shifts and displaces the water above it, and that water has to go somewhere. So it pans out, like if you drop a rock into a pond. This is what happened in Asia a couple of years ago. That said, all earthquakes under water do not cause tsunamis, because the mere rumbling of the ground is not what causes it. The water has to be displaced by rock or land. That said, earthquakes are not the only thing that causes tsunamis. A large rock slide into the water from a mountain can also cause a tsunami. In 1964, for example, a small earthquake caused a massive rock slide to happen in Prince Edward Sound. This caused a tsunami that did well over $100 million in damages and killed 122 people all along the western coast of North America. The rock slide displaced the water, and a tsunami was born. To better understand how all of this works, take a large bowl and fill it with water. Not hold a large stone above the water and let it go. Where does the water go? That is how a tsunami is formed.
2016-05-23 05:44:27 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Where an earthquake occurs under the oceon, the energy released and the shifting seabed can cause a tidal wave to spread from the epicentre outwards, like the ripples caused by a rock thrown into a pond. This tidal wave can be called a tsunami. For a more complete answer look at 'tsunami' on the 'wikipedia' website. www.wikipedia.org.
2007-01-05 01:42:34 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A tsunami is caused by a certain type of earthquake under the sea, not all such earthquakes cause tsunamis.
2007-01-05 01:39:44 · answer #4 · answered by mike-from-spain 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both are caused by tectonic plate movements, in water though it causes the tsunamis, on land the same thing but due to no water just the earthquake
2007-01-05 01:39:39 · answer #5 · answered by Boothster 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A tsunami is caused by the movement of tectonic plates under the ocean. As one plate goes underneath the other is forced and a huge amount of water is displaced. As this "ripple" comes into contact with the continental shelf the resultant wave slows down but the volume of water behind it carries on with the result of the Tsunami.
2007-01-05 22:43:13 · answer #6 · answered by GenetteS 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The movement of the earth under the water causes the wave called a tsunami. Like shaking a bowl of water causes it to hit the side and overflow.
Try wikipedia for a full explanation. http://www.wikipedia.org
2007-01-05 01:37:43 · answer #7 · answered by robert2020 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a tsunami is a earthquake under water
2007-01-06 22:21:44 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
A sub-ocean earthquake occurs...if its large enough to do so, it will displace a HUGE amount of water, causing a large wave.
2007-01-05 01:39:51 · answer #9 · answered by bradxschuman 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
when there is an earth quake under water that is what causes a tsunami.
2007-01-05 06:41:01 · answer #10 · answered by TCI 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋