How a Tsunami

Happens

The term tsunami has its origins in the Japanese language; an English equivalent is "seismic sea waves." Tsunamis are often incorrectly interchanged with the term" tidal waves," which refer to high waves of water caused by changes in the flow and surge of the ocean. Tsunamis, on the other hand, can be caused by a few different means: 1) the down drop or upthurst of the Earth’s crust which results in an earthquake; 2) a large-scale undersea landslide; 3) a submarine volcanic eruption of a certain degree; or potentially, 4) a large meteor impact at sea. The vast majority of tsunamis result from earthquakes.

An average of 85% of all tsunamis have been observed in the Pacific Ocean in the "Ring of Fire." George Maul participated in an expert panel discussion on tsunami locations, in association with Smithsonian magazine . In his presentation he offered data (shown below) representing the distribution of tsunamis in the world's oceans and seas: