# Tsunami Study Challenges Long-held Formation Theory NPJHkCmXv78

A new NASA study is challenging a long-held theory on how tsunamis form and offering a new method for forecasting the powerful waves.

Most tsunamis result from a massive shifting of the seafloor -- usually from the subduction, or sliding, of one tectonic plate under another during an earthquake.

Using a large wave tank, researchers simulated horizontal land displacements and found that it can contribute significantly to the strength of some tsunamis.

This video is public domain and along with other supporting visualizations can be downloaded from the Scientific Visualization Studio at: http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12560

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Katy Mersmann

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- Kind: Short
- Year: 2017
- Runtime: 1 min
- By: NASA Goddard
- Genres: Space
- Archive: [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tsunami_Study_Challenges_Long-held_Formation_Theory_NPJHkCmXv78.webm)
- Licence or status: Public domain (as the archive states it)
- Credit: NASA Goddard
- Who can watch: Tweens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/commons/96296459?play=1)