A tsunami (pronounced /tsuːˈnɑːmi/) is a series of waves created when a body of water, such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced. Earthquakes, mass movements above or below water, some volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions, landslides, underwater earthquakes, large asteroid impacts and testing with nuclear weapons at sea all have the potential to generate a tsunami

Greek historian Thucydides was the first to relate tsunamis to submarine quakes,^{[1] [2]} but understanding of the nature of tsunamis remained slim until the 20th century

The term tsunami comes from the Japanese meaning harbor ("tsu", 津) and wave ("nami", 波).

80% of all tsunamis occur in the Pacific Ocean