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Tsunamis occur after earthquakes when one tectonic plate subducts or goes below a continental plate. This is generally between an oceanic plate and a continental plate. The deformation that accumulates between the two surfaces causes the tsunami. If you have two pieces of sandpaper and push them against each other, you'll see that at a certain point they'll move apart. That's essentially what happens between two tectonic plates. In the case of a tsunami, it needs a vertical movement of the ground to initiate a disturbance to the surface of the water. There is a plate in that region and it is a subduction zone, so it's possible that there will be a tsunami. However, you can get movements of one plate relative to another without large earthquakes happening and without vertical displacements of the ground below. |