How Earthquakes Cause Tsunamis | Explained

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]This is Japan's 2011 tsunami triggered by a massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake and this Monday a 7.4 quake again triggered tsunami warnings there with waves up to 80 cm recorded. But what is the real link between earthquakes and tsunamis? Let's understand it simply.

[00:00:18]Earth's surface is made of huge tectonic plates. These plates are slowly but constantly moving. But sometimes they get stuck while pushing against each other building up massive pressure and energy. And when that pressure is suddenly released, that's what causes earthquakes. Now imagine this, if the ocean floor suddenly shifts, the water above it gets pushed all at once. That disturbance spreads out in every direction like ripples but on a massive scale. In the deep ocean these waves move extremely fast but they are barely noticeable. Ships may not even feel them. But as they approach land everything changes. The water becomes shallow, the waves slow down and start growing taller and stronger. Now why are countries like Japan, Indonesia and Chile often on tsunami alert after earthquakes? Because they sit on the ring of fire, one of the most active earthquake zones on earth where under [music] sea quakes are more common increasing tsunami risk. Follow Vision IAS for more such content.