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A tsunami (Japanese: 津波 [tsɯnami], lit. 'harbor wave';[1] English pronunciation: /suːˈnɑːmi/ soo-NAH-mee) or tidal wave is a series of water waves (called a tsunami wave train[2]) caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, usually an ocean, but can occur in large lakes.

Many early geological, geographical, and oceanographic texts refer to tsunamis as "seismic sea waves."

When two oceanic tectonic plates converge, one is subducted or pulled under, the other. This convergent activity allows for magma from the earth's core to erupt at the point of contact. The cooled erupted lava and debris build up over time. When the pile of debris and lava build up high enough, land is formed above sea level. This land is called an island. Often, these island volcanoes stay active, continuously growing.

The Ring of Fire, also known as the Circum-Pacific Belt, is a string of islands with active volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean. This geographical region is the most active volcanic and seismic zone in the world, and corresponds with oceanic-continental convergence of multiple tectonic plates.

Tsunamis race across the sea at up to 500 miles (805 kilometers) an hour

A tsunami is a series of ocean waves that sends surges of water, sometimes reaching heights of over 100 feet (30.5 meters), onto land. These walls of water can cause widespread destruction when they crash ashore.These awe-inspiring waves are typically caused by large, undersea earthquakes at tectonic plate boundaries. When the ocean floor at a plate boundary rises or falls suddenly it displaces the water above it and launches the rolling waves that will become a tsunami.