What are tsunami waves?

A tsunami is like when a giant wave comes rushing toward the shore after something big shakes up the ocean.

Imagine you're playing with your toy boat in a bathtub. If you suddenly knock over a whole stack of blocks on the other side, it makes a huge splash that sends water rushing toward your boat, that's kind of how a tsunami starts.

Sometimes, an earthquake under the ocean is like that big knockover, it pushes a lot of water up all at once. This creates a wave that can travel across the whole ocean, sometimes for thousands of miles!

When these waves get close to land, they can grow really tall and crash down on the beach like a giant wall of water. It's not just one big wave, sometimes it’s more like a series of waves, each getting bigger than the last.

Tsunamis are powerful reminders that even calm oceans can hide a lot of energy, just waiting to be released!