Elephants on the coast of Thailand are acting strange. They stamp their feet and motion toward the hills. The sea draws back from the beaches. Fish flop in the mud. Suddenly, a huge wave appears. This is no ordinary wave. It is a tsunami!
Tsunami (pronounced “soo-NAH-mee”) waves are larger and faster than normal surface waves. A tsunami wave can travel as fast as a jet plane and can be as tall as a ten-story building. Imagine dropping a stone into a pond. The water on the surface ripples. A tsunami is like a very powerful ripple. Tsunamis begin when the ocean rises or falls very suddenly. Large amounts of seawater are displaced. This movement causes huge waves.