Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
tsunami
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
Aceh, Indonesia: tsunami aftermath Diagram showing the stages of a tsunami, from its generation at the earthquake epicenter under the ocean, through wave propagation across open water, to cresting and inundation as the waves reach and flood coastal land.
The video thumbnail image shows a woman trying to break a bundle of pasta strands as part of a scientific demonstration.
How Tsunamis Form from Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Landslides
Pixelated window with the text TSUNAMI OR WAVE? and a large cursor overlaying a background of a large wave hitting the coast.
Banda Aceh, Indonesia, before and after the 2004 tsunami Map of the northern Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico highlighting the location and circular outline of the Chicxulub crater, which is about 180 kilometers in diameter and partly extends into the Gulf of Mexico. The map also shows nearby cities such as Merida, Cancun, Campeche, and Playa del Carmen, as well as international borders with Belize and Guatemala. An inset globe marks the region's location in the Americas. Map of the Pacific Ocean showing the spread of the tsunami generated by the 1960 Chile earthquake, with colored contour lines indicating the travel time in hours of the wave front from the earthquake's epicenter near Valdivia, Chile. The map highlights how the tsunami radiated outward, reaching locations such as Hawaii, Japan, and the U.S. West Coast, with time intervals labeled in increments of five hours.
Can We Predict Natural Disasters?
Constructing a European tsunami warning system
At a Glance
default image
tsunami summary
Quizzes
rain. Child in the rain, wearing a rain coat, under a yellow umbrella. April Showers weather climate rain storm water drops
April Showers to March’s Lions and Lambs
Warm water fuels Hurricane Katrina. This image depicts a 3-day average of actual dea surface temperatures for the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, from August 25-27, 2005.
Disasters of Historic Proportion
Related Questions

tsunami: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Article revised and updated. Oct 05, 2026
Added media. Sep 29, 2026
Modified link of Web site: Geosciences LibreTexts - Some Facts about Tsunamis. Sep 18, 2026
Add new Web site: The Royal Society Publishing - Royal Society Open Science - Tsunami modelling over global oceans. Feb 03, 2026
Media added. Jul 16, 2025
Questions and answers added. Mar 17, 2025
Add new Web site: Nature - Scientific Reports - Tsunami generation potential of a strike-slip fault tip in the westernmost Mediterranean. Nov 29, 2024
Media added. Aug 14, 2024
Add new Web site: Nature - Random focusing of tsunami waves. Jun 18, 2024
Media added. May 13, 2024
Add new Web site: University of Hawaii - Exploring Our Fluid Earth - Tsunamis. Apr 17, 2024
Add new Web site: Salt Lake Community College Pressbooks - Tsunamis. Nov 16, 2023
Add new Web site: National Emergency Management Agency, New Zealand - What is a tsunami? May 16, 2023
Cross-reference added. Mar 27, 2023
Add new Web site: Geosciences LibreTexts - Some Facts about Tsunamis. Jan 05, 2023
Add new Web site: Natural History Museum of Utah - All About Tsunamis: The Science Behind Tsunamis. Nov 05, 2022
Add new Web site: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Tsunamis. Aug 26, 2022
Noted evidence of a tsunami caused by the collision of a meteor or comet that coincided with the K-T extinction event, which occurred some 66 million years ago. May 12, 2022
Add new Web site: The Canadian Encyclopedia - Tsunami. Apr 22, 2022
Removed media. Aug 26, 2021
Added a paragraph describing the causes and effects of meteotsunamis. Jun 17, 2021
Noted that a tsunami's wavelength can sometimes exceed 500 km (about 310 miles). May 05, 2021
Corrected display issue. Oct 29, 2020
Added photos of tsunami damage to Chile, Japan, and Banda Aceh in Indonesia. Jul 02, 2018
Article revised and updated. Jul 02, 2018
Add new Web site: Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Center - What Causes Tsunami. May 31, 2018
Add new Web site: Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology - Tsunami Facts and Information. Sep 27, 2017
Add new Web site: National Geographic - Tsunami facts. Mar 28, 2017
Add new Web site: Cool Kid Facts - Tsunami Facts. Mar 28, 2017
Text added noting evidence of tsunami waves on the surface of Mars. May 19, 2016
Text describing the Cretan earthquake and tsunami of 365 added. Mar 12, 2015
Added video. Feb 06, 2015
Add new Web site: Kids Geo - Kids Geography - Tsunami. Jun 03, 2014
Add new Web site: Weather Wiz Kids - Tsunami Safety. Jun 02, 2014
Add new Web site: Science Kids - Fun Science and Technology for Kids! - Tsunami Facts. Jun 02, 2014
Add new Web site: SMS Tsunami Warning. Sep 25, 2013
Add new Web site: SMS Tsunami Warning. Sep 25, 2013
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - What Causes a Tsunami. Feb 15, 2013
Add new Web site: Australian Government - Bureau of Meteorology - Tsunami Facts and Information. Feb 12, 2013
Add new Web site: Ready - Tsunami. Feb 12, 2013
Add new Web site: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Tsunami. Feb 12, 2013
Add new Web site: National Geographic - Environment - Tsunami. Feb 05, 2013
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Tsunamis. Feb 05, 2013
Add new Web site: India Parenting - Tsunami. Sep 14, 2012
Added a video about tsunamis and how they are formed. Jan 26, 2012
Changed the magnitude of the 2004 earthquake in the Indian Ocean from "9.0" to "9.1." Oct 05, 2011
Animation of an earthquake-generated tsunami added. Aug 26, 2011
Text added describing the tsunami associated with the 2011 Japan earthquake. Mar 15, 2011
Added diagram of tsunami formation. Oct 27, 2010
Added map of the path of the tsunami generated by the Chile earthquake of 1960. Sep 23, 2010
Added new Web site: National Geographic - Environment - Tsunami. Apr 20, 2009
Added new Web site: NASA Space Place - Getting the right angle on the story. Apr 16, 2009
Added new Web site: Energy Information Administration - Ocean Energy. May 08, 2008
Added new Web site: How Stuff Works - Science - Tsunami. Jul 17, 2007
Added new Web site: Discovery Education - Dynamic Earth. Apr 25, 2007
Added new Web site: Australian Spaceguard Survey - Tsunami from Asteroid Impacts. Jan 15, 2007
Added new Web site: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - Tsunami. Dec 11, 2006
Added new Web site: USGS - Tsunami. Nov 16, 2006
Added new Web site: United States Geological Survey - Tsunamis and Earthquakes. Nov 15, 2006
Added new Web site: The Official Site of the Pacific Tsunami Museum. Oct 18, 2006
Added new Web site: University of Washington - Tsunami! Oct 18, 2006
Added new Web site: PBS Online - Savage Earth. Aug 07, 2006
Added new Web site: PBS Online - Savage Earth. Aug 07, 2006
Added new Web site: University of Washington - Tsunami! Jun 01, 2006
Article revised. Feb 09, 2005
Article added to new online database. Jul 20, 1998
View Changes:
Article History
Revised:
By: