What causes tsunamis?

Tsunamis are large ocean waves typically caused by sudden and powerful disturbances underwater. The most common cause of tsunamis is an undersea earthquake, especially those that occur at tectonic plate boundaries where one plate suddenly slips or moves. This sudden displacement of the sea floor pushes a massive volume of water upward, generating waves that travel across the ocean at high speeds. Besides earthquakes, tsunamis can also be triggered by underwater volcanic eruptions, landslides (either underwater or from nearby coastal areas falling into the sea), and, more rarely, by large meteorite impacts in the ocean. In all these cases, the rapid displacement of water creates waves that grow taller and more destructive as they approach shallow coastal areas. Because tsunamis can travel across entire ocean basins, they pose a significant risk to coastal communities far from the original disturbance.