Tsunamis

305 meters

A tsunami is a series of ocean waves that sends surges of water, sometimes reaching heights of over 100 feet (________), onto land.

Tsunamis

________ may also be caused by underwater landslides or volcanic eruptions.

ocean floor

When the ________ at a plate boundary rises or falls suddenly, it displaces the water above it and launches the rolling waves that will become a tsunami.

Pacific Oceans

Most tsunamis- about 80 percent- happen within the ________ "Ring of Fire, "a geologically active area where tectonic shifts make volcanoes and earthquakes common.

vacuum effect

When it does, it produces a(n) ________ that sucks coastal water seaward and exposes harbor and sea floors.

deep ocean

In ________, tsunami waves may appear only a foot or so high.

Rikuzentakata

More than 1, 500 people died in ________, one of several towns eradicated by a tsunami that hit Japan.