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what is tsunami ? what are the causes of tsunami?
Tsunami is the Japanese name given to large waves that sometimes devastated the shores and ports of Japan. A tsunami is a wave in the ocean but it is very different to normal waves.Tsunamis have very long wavelengths.A tsunami is most often triggered by undersea earthquakes that cause massive changes to the ocean floor.
Causes of Tsunami

Tsunamis are caused by sudden movements of the earth that happens under the sea. Often the most destructive Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes but causes can also include volcanic eruptions, landslides or even a comet hitting the sea.

Landslides cause tsunamis when the debris falls into the water. This has the same effect of dropping a large stone into a pool - big ripples are created. But when this happens in the sea and it is thousands of tonnes of rock and earth falling into the sea a very large ripple, more like a tidal wave is created. This travels across the sea until it comes into contact with land and a tsunami is formed.

Volcanoes cause tsunamis when there is an eruption. The volcano can either be on land or under the sea, in which case it is known as a submarine volcano. If the volcanic eruption happens on land, the tsunami is caused by debris and lava from the volcano flowing into the sea, which once again causes a bug ripple.

If the eruption happens under water, the enormous power of the eruption sends shudders through the earth and disrupts the water. The water in the sea then breaks into waves which travel across the ocean until they come into contact with a coast. Here, a tsunami is formed.


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