A tsunami is a series of waves that occur right after the displacement of a large amount of water. Use this tag for questions about tsunamis, why they happen, and how they occur.
A tsunami is a series of waves that occur right after the displacement of a large amount of water. Some examples of this are an earthquake, a volcanic eruption, or an underwater explosion.
Tsunamis were first discovered as early as 462 BC. Greek historian Thucydides inquired in his book History of the Peloponnesian War about the cause of tsunamis, and thought that an earthquake might be the cause:
The cause of such inundation, for my part, I take to be this: that the earthquake, where it was very great, did there send off the sea; and the sea returning on a sudden, caused the water to come on with greater violence. And it seemeth unto me that without an earthquake such an accident could never happen.
Some notable recent tsunamis are: the 2011 Japan tsunami, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and the 1980 Spirit Lake "megatsunami"
