地震調査研究推進本部事務局, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What Causes a Tsunami?
Dec 08, 2025
Hi! Welcome back to the Kids Answers blog, where we learn about God’s Word and God’s world.
In the July–September 2024 issue of Kids Answers, we talked about waves. Did you know the tallest wave ever recorded was 1,720 feet high?1 That’s as tall as 172 basketball hoops stacked on top of each other.
This wasn’t just a random wave, though. It was a tsunami (soo-NAH-mee).
(Photo by Todd Turner on Unsplash)
Earthquakes and volcanoes are common causes of tsunamis. The earth’s crust is broken into tectonic plates, which likely occurred during the global flood. These plates sometimes shift, rubbing against or sliding beneath one another, causing earthquakes and volcanoes.
The rumbling of the earth during a volcanic eruption or a powerful earthquake can trigger a tsunami. These massive waves can cause devastating destruction if they reach land. Today, we have warning systems to alert people when a tsunami is possible.
(Photo by NOAA on Unsplash)
Tsunamis are a reminder that we live in a fallen world, marked by death and suffering. The death they sometimes cause reminds us that Adam’s sin brought death into God’s very good world. But someday, Jesus will return and restore everything to its perfect state, and those who trust in him will be set free from pain and death. Until then, we don’t have to be afraid, because we can know that he is with us (Deuteronomy 31:8).
Footnotes
- Jason Lock, “7 of the Biggest Tsunamis Ever Recorded,” Surfer Magazine, August 16, 2025, https://www.surfer.com/news/biggest-tsunamis.
