What causes a seismic sea wave?

A tsunami is A aka a tidal wave B aka a seismic wave C a large wave form that travels throughout all the oceans D caused by a strong storm center in the open sea?

• Answer:

  B The true tidal wave is, of course, a product of the tides. There are places in the world where the tides produce a surge up a river mouth or some such restricted channel that is a notable ridge of water. They are not all that big: five-six feet high at the very most. A tsunami is the wave produce by some catastrophic event. They can be very large indeed. An earthquake can cause an underwater ridge of sediment to collapse and the redistribution of the ocean water causes Tsunamis. An exploding volcanic island is a rarer cause for a Tsunami as are large meteorites. The biggest wave on record occurred in Lituya Bay on the southern coast of Alaska in 1958. An earthquake measuring 8.3 on the Richter scale hit the area and a massive 1,720ft wave was created and washed over the headland.