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Quizzes > Science

Tsunami Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Causes, Waves, and Safety

Quick, free tsunami knowledge test with instant results and short explanations.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Mario GojevicUpdated Aug 24, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper cut wave layers surround bold quiz text on sky blue background

This tsunami quiz helps you check what you know about causes, wave behavior, and warning signs. You will get quick feedback as you go. Want to explore more? Try our tsunami safety quiz, dive into the seas with ocean trivia questions, or build wider basics in an earth science quiz.

What is a tsunami?
A sudden change in ocean currents
A series of ocean waves caused by seismic activity
A wind-generated surface wave
A tidal wave produced by lunar gravity
A tsunami is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, most often due to underwater earthquakes. Unlike wind waves, tsunamis have very long wavelengths and are triggered by seismic events. They can travel across entire ocean basins with little energy loss.
Which of the following is the most common cause of tsunamis?
Undersea earthquakes at subduction zones
Underwater volcanic eruptions
Undersea landslides
Meteorite impacts
More than 80% of tsunamis are generated by undersea earthquakes at subduction zones, where one tectonic plate is forced beneath another. These earthquakes displace massive volumes of water, creating tsunami waves. Other causes like landslides and volcanic eruptions are less frequent.
Which ocean region is often called the 'tsunami capital' due to frequent events?
Atlantic Ocean
Indian Ocean
Southern Ocean
Pacific Ring of Fire
The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area with high tectonic activity, including frequent undersea earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, making it the most tsunami-prone region. Many of the world's major tsunamis originate here.
What does the Japanese word "tsunami" literally translate to?
Harbor wave
Ocean surge
Big wave
Sea tremor
"Tsunami" comes from the Japanese words "tsu" meaning harbor and "nami" meaning wave. The term reflects how these waves often devastate harbors and coastal villages.
Which instrument is primarily used to detect the seismic activity that can lead to tsunamis?
Buoy thermometer
Seismograph
Barometer
Tide gauge
Seismographs measure ground motion and record the seismic waves produced by earthquakes. Detecting significant undersea earthquakes quickly is crucial for tsunami early warning systems.
Which term is often mistakenly used to describe a tsunami?
Storm surge
Rogue wave
Seiche
Tidal wave
Tsunamis are not caused by tidal forces and are not actual tidal waves. The incorrect term "tidal wave" persists historically, but tsunamis are caused by sudden water displacement, not tides.
How fast can tsunamis travel in deep ocean waters?
1,200 km/h (745 mph)
300 km/h (186 mph)
100 km/h (62 mph)
800 km/h (500 mph)
In deep water, tsunamis can travel at speeds up to 800 km/h (roughly the speed of a jet airliner). As they approach shallow coastal areas, they slow down and increase in height.
What happens to the height of a tsunami wave as it approaches shallow water?
It increases due to wave shoaling
It stays the same
It disperses completely
It decreases dramatically
As tsunami waves enter shallower water near coastlines, their speed decreases, and wave energy is compressed into a smaller water column, increasing wave height - a process called shoaling.
Which type of plate boundary is most commonly associated with tsunami-generating earthquakes?
Convergent subduction zone
Divergent boundary
Continental collision zone
Transform boundary
Subduction zones, where an oceanic plate dives beneath another plate, build up tremendous stress that's released in large earthquakes capable of displacing water and generating tsunamis.
Which historic tsunami event is among the deadliest on record?
2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
2018 Sulawesi tsunami
1755 Lisbon tsunami
1883 Krakatoa tsunami
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, triggered by a magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra, killed over 230,000 people in multiple countries, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.
What is often the earliest observable sign of an impending tsunami along a coast?
Darkening of the sky over the ocean
Unusual rapid withdrawal of water from the shore
A loud roar from the sea
Sudden drop in coastal air pressure
A noticeable and rapid withdrawal of water from the shoreline, sometimes exposing the seafloor, often precedes the arrival of the first tsunami wave. This phenomenon occurs as the trough of the wave reaches land before the crest.
What is the difference between tsunami run-up and inundation?
Run-up is wave velocity, inundation is wave height
Run-up is maximum vertical height, inundation is horizontal flood distance
They are two terms for the same measurement
Run-up is distance inland, inundation is energy
Run-up refers to the maximum vertical height a tsunami reaches above mean sea level onshore, while inundation is the horizontal distance that the tsunami travels inland. Both measurements are vital for hazard assessment.
What does the acronym DART stand for in tsunami detection?
Detection and Analysis of Rapid Tsunami
Delayed Alarm for Rapid Tremors
Dynamic Alert Response Technology
Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis
DART stands for Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis. DART buoys measure changes in water pressure on the seafloor and relay data in real time for early warning.
Which factor most influences the height of a tsunami as it reaches a particular coastline?
Wind speed at the coast
Offshore bathymetry and coastal topography
Ocean salinity
Moon phase
Local bathymetry (sea floor shape) and coastal topography strongly influence tsunami wave transformation, focusing or dispersing energy, and thus determine wave height at the shore.
Which characteristic most reliably distinguishes a tsunami wave from normal wind waves?
Short wavelength
Long wave period and wavelength
Green color of water
Strong smell of fish
Tsunamis have very long wavelengths (up to hundreds of kilometers) and periods (minutes to over an hour), unlike wind-driven waves with short periods and wavelengths.
Above what earthquake magnitude do tsunamis become significantly more likely?
Magnitude 7.5
Magnitude 9.0
Magnitude 5.5
Magnitude 4.0
Earthquakes with magnitudes above roughly 7.5 at subduction zones are most likely to produce enough sea floor displacement to trigger tsunamis. Smaller events rarely generate significant waves.
Which phenomenon besides earthquakes can generate tsunamis?
Ocean current shifts
Atmospheric pressure changes
Solar eclipses
Submarine landslides or volcanic flank collapses
Large submarine landslides and volcanic edifice collapses can rapidly displace water and generate tsunamis, as seen in Lituya Bay (1958) and volcanic island collapses.
Which computational method is commonly used to simulate tsunami propagation in oceans?
Finite difference method
Neural network prediction
Monte Carlo simulation
Molecular dynamics
The finite difference method solves the shallow water equations on a grid, making it well-suited for modeling tsunami wave propagation over large areas with varying bathymetry.
Which mechanism primarily dissipates tsunami energy as it moves across a continental shelf?
Wind shear
Bottom friction
Surface evaporation
Coriolis deflection
As tsunamis travel over the relatively shallow continental shelf, friction between the moving water and seabed dissipates wave energy, reducing wave height before shore impact.
What is the typical range of tsunami wave periods?
2 - 5 hours
10 - 60 minutes
1 - 10 seconds
100 - 500 milliseconds
Tsunamis have long wave periods ranging from about 10 to 60 minutes, distinguishing them from short-period wind waves (a few seconds).
In shallow-water theory, tsunami wave amplitude is inversely proportional to which factor?
Salinity
Surface area
Water depth squared
Water depth's square root
Linear shallow-water theory shows that wave amplitude grows roughly as the inverse square root of water depth when waves shoal, explaining why tsunamis build height near coasts.
Which historical data is most critical when creating tsunami hazard maps for coastal zones?
Annual tourist numbers
Seawater temperature records
Historical run-up heights and inundation extents
Fishing yields
Mapping past run-up heights and inundation distances provides empirical bounds on how far and how high tsunamis have reached, guiding zoning and evacuation planning.
Which ocean observation technique directly measures seafloor displacement after an earthquake?
Gyrocompass readings
Subsurface fluorometers
Wind profilers
Satellite altimetry
Satellite altimeters detect changes in sea surface height that can indicate underlying seafloor displacement from an earthquake, providing data for tsunami modeling.
In tsunami numerical modeling, what does the Kajiura number represent?
Friction coefficient at seabed
Ratio of wavelength to water depth
Ratio of wave height to wavelength
Nonlinearity of fluid viscosity
The Kajiura number (K) is defined as the ratio of tsunami wavelength to local water depth. It indicates the importance of nonlinearity and dispersion in wave propagation.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Identify Causes of Tsunamis -

    Understand the geological and environmental triggers - such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and landslides - that generate tsunami waves.

  2. Recall Key Historical Events -

    Remember significant tsunami events and their global impacts to place current tsunami trivia quiz questions into historical context.

  3. Explain Tsunami Formation and Propagation -

    Describe how underwater disturbances translate into powerful waves and travel across ocean basins.

  4. Analyze Environmental and Social Impacts -

    Evaluate the short- and long-term effects of tsunamis on coastal ecosystems, communities, and infrastructure.

  5. Interpret Warning Systems and Safety Protocols -

    Learn to recognize early warning signs and official alerts to take appropriate precautions in a tsunami scenario.

  6. Evaluate Mitigation and Preparedness Strategies -

    Assess various measures - such as coastal zoning, early warning networks, and community drills - for reducing tsunami risks.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Tectonic Origins and Seafloor Displacement -

    Most tsunamis originate from undersea earthquakes when a fault rupture abruptly displaces the seafloor, pushing a massive volume of water upward. Remember the 2004 Indian Ocean event where a magnitude 9.1 quake caused seafloor uplift of up to 15 meters (USGS). Use the mnemonic "2U-D" (Undersea quake + Uplift = Displacement) to recall this mechanism when tackling questions about tsunamis.

  2. Propagation Speed and the Depth Formula -

    In deep ocean waters, a tsunami's speed c is governed by c = √(g·d), where g≈9.8 m/s² and d is depth in meters - so at 4,000 m depth, c≈198 m/s (~712 km/h). This formula from NOAA illustrates why tsunamis race across oceans faster than jet planes; practice plugging in different depths to master wave speed calculation. Mnemonic: "Sqrt Your Depth" helps recall the square root relationship in tsunami questions.

  3. Wave Characteristics and Shoaling Effect -

    While tsunami wave heights are typically under a metre in deep water, their enormous wavelength (up to 200 km) means they carry immense energy. As waves move into shallow coastal zones, the shoaling effect amplifies their height - sometimes exceeding 30 m - so remember "Long and Low in Deep, Tall in Shallow" for tsunami trivia quiz success. UNESCO studies highlight how bathymetry shapes wave transformation near shore.

  4. Tsunami Magnitude vs. Earthquake Magnitude -

    Unlike earthquakes measured by the Richter or moment magnitude scale, tsunamis have their own intensity scales, such as the Japan Meteorological Agency's warning scale (0 - 5) based on expected coastal inundation. A magnitude 7 quake near a subduction zone can produce a much larger tsunami than a similar quake elsewhere - quiz questions about tsunamis often test this distinction. Practice comparing scales to avoid confusing earthquake magnitude with tsunami size.

  5. Early Warning Systems and Mitigation Strategies -

    Modern detection networks combine seismographs, deep-ocean buoys (DART) and coastal tide gauges to provide warnings within minutes, greatly reducing loss of life. Use the acronym "BUST" (Buoys, Seismographs, Tide gauges, Tsunami warnings) to remember key components when studying for a causes of tsunamis quiz. NOAA and IRDR case studies show that community drills and evacuation maps are equally vital for effective response.

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