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Tsunami is actually a Japanese word meaning "harbour wave" in English. "Tsu" means harbour, and "nami," means wave. They were sometimes referred to as "tidal waves" by the public. However, the scientific community called them "seismic sea waves". "Tidal wave" is acutally not the right term to use. Although a tsunami's impact on a coastline depends on the tide level when a tsunami strikes, they are not related to tides. Tides are caused by the imbalanced, gravitational influences from the moon, sun, and planets. The term "seismic sea wave" can also be misleading. "Seismic" is usually used in earthquake-related situations, but a tsunami need not be caused by seismic events. It could be triggered by a landslide or meteorite impact. Back (What is a Tsunami) | Next (Formation of a Tsunami) |