How does a tsunami
form?
An earthquake below the seabed causes the rocks of the seabed to shift. The movement pushes up an immense ridge of water. The water spreads out in all directions as waves, which can move across the open ocean “as fast as a passenger plane”.
Tsunami Formation Steps:
An earthquake below the seabed causes the rocks of the seabed to shift. The movement pushes up an immense ridge of water. The water spreads out in all directions as waves, which can move across the open ocean “as fast as a passenger plane”.
Tsunami Formation Steps:
- The seabed
shifts- two plates shift during an earthquake.
- The tsunami
begins- Pulled down by gravity, the ridge collapses, triggering a series of
smaller waves. The waves travel outwards, like when a pebble thrown in a pond
ripples.
- Crossing
the ocean- The deeper the water is, the faster the tsunami travels.
- Approaching
land- the waves slow down as they cross shallower coastal waters.
- Reaching
the shore- before each wave breaks; the sea withdraws up to 1km, then
surging forwards, creating a towering wall of water.