Weather Tidbits: What Causes a Tsunami?

We’ll be discussing what causes a tsunami in this edition of Weather Tidbits. Tsunamis can be caused by a variety of factors, including but not limited to landslide debris falling into the ocean and meteorite impacts into the water. The main cause of Tsunamis, however, is from earthquakes under the ocean. The underwater earthquake occurs when the earth’s plates within the fault line rub together. These earthquakes cause the ocean water to vertically push up, which creates the large waves. As the waves spread into the shallower water closer toward the shoreline, they grow in height and push well inland. Tsunamis can claim hundreds of lives and cause billions of dollars in damage when they occur.