How A Volcano Can Trigger A Tsunami

Images not to scale

Source: NOAA, USGS, Paris et al. (2013) in Natural Hazards, Paris (2015) in Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A

How a volcano can trigger a tsunami

Landslide:

rapidly moving

landslide mass

Lateral blast:

sideways explosion

that carry rock debris

at high speeds

Pyroclastic flows:

hot (often >800 °C)

mixture of rock

fragments, gas, and

ash that moves fast

Caldera collapse:

large volumes of magma

removed from reservoir

lead to rapid subsidence

of sea floor and

water displacement

Underwater explosion

near ocean surface:

energy can create

shock waves that

generate waves

Volcanic activities that displace large volumes of water can