The phenomenon we call “tsunami” (soo-NAH-mee) is a series of traveling ocean waves of extremely long length generated primarily by earthquakes occurring below or near the ocean floor.
Underwater volcanic eruptions and landslides can also generate tsunamis. In the deep ocean, the tsunami waves propagate across the deep ocean with a speed exceeding 800 kilometers per hour ([km], ~500 miles per hour), and a wave height of only a few tens of centimeters (1 foot [ft]) or less. Tsunami waves are distinguished from ordinary ocean waves by their great length between wave crests, often exceeding 100 km (60 miles [mi]) or more in the deep ocean, and by the time between these crests, ranging from 10 minutes to an hour.
As they reach the shallow waters of the coast, the waves slow down and the water can pile up into a wall of destruction tens of meters (30 ft) or more in height. The effect can be amplified where a bay, harbor or lagoon funnels the wave as it moves inland. Large tsunamis have been known to rise over 30 meters (100 ft). Even a tsunami 3-6 meters (m) high can be very destructive and cause many deaths and injuries.
