minor earthquakes can go undetected, but they can still cause a lot of damage. On mountains, they can result in avalanches. tremors may also produce tsunamis in the ocean. also known as tidal waves, ocean waves. ocean waves are caused by wind. tsunamis are caused when seismic energy pushes large amounts of water away from a fault. for example, when an earthquake occurs beneath the ocean, it pushes part pf the ocean floor up. this causes the water above that part of the ocean floor to rise. because earthquakes trigger tsunamis, these powerful waves can often be detected by seismologists. people in the path of the tsunami can then be warned. however, there is little that can be done in terms of prevention. people can move to safe places, but buildings in a tsunami's path must weather the storm or fall.