Science Common Sense

119 - How do earthquakes create tsunamis?

Imagine you're in a pool, and you jump in really hard, causing big waves to form. Earthquakes can do something similar in the ocean.

When a big earthquake happens under the water, it can make the seafloor move up or down really fast. This movement creates big waves on the surface of the water, called tsunamis. These waves start out really far apart, but as they get closer to land, they get closer together and get really, really big. That's why tsunamis can be so destructive when they hit the shore.

So, to sum it up, the earthquake's movement under the water makes the ocean water move, creating these huge waves called tsunamis.