What Causes a Tsunami- Shifting Tectonic Plates

The earth is actually made up of huge "plates" like a jigsaw puzzle. Where these plates fit together is known as the plate boundary. The causes of a tsunami are the plates when they shift against each other. In a divergent plate boundary, the plates move away from each other. Where there is a convergent plate boundary the plates push toward each other or collide. Transform boundaries are formed where plates shift past each other horizontally.



Learn more about what causes a tsunami. Stop by The TMBA site where you can find out all about how tsunamis are formed and see several 3d animations that explain what happens.