• 11 parts
  • Checked October 2026

Tsunami Labeled Diagram

Three drawings follow one tsunami from the sea floor to the land.

Tsunami Labeled Diagram

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Fault
  2. Uplifted sea floor
  3. Displaced water
  4. Spreading waves
  5. Wave in deep water
  6. Wave in shallow water
  7. Sea drawing back
  8. Exposed sea floor
  9. Normal sea level
  10. Inundation (flooded land)
  11. Run-up

Drawn for this site on 2026-10-03 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the parts of an earthquake

All 11 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Out at sea 5

  1. Fault A break in the rock under the sea. It moves suddenly in an earthquake.
  2. Uplifted sea floor The earthquake pushes this part of the sea floor up.
  3. Displaced water Water lifted by the rising sea floor. It becomes the tsunami.
  4. Spreading waves The waves move out in all directions.
  5. Wave in deep water Long and low. A ship hardly notices it pass.

Near shore 3

  1. Wave in shallow water The wave slows down, bunches up and grows taller.
  2. Sea drawing back Sometimes the sea suddenly runs out before the wave.
  3. Exposed sea floor Sea bottom left bare when the water runs out.

On land 3

  1. Normal sea level The level of the sea before the tsunami came.
  2. Inundation (flooded land) The flooding of the land by the tsunami.
  3. Run-up How high above normal sea level the water reaches on land.

How this list was compiled: Every name and statement checked on 2026-10-03 in two independent sources. (1) NOAA / National Weather Service, US Tsunami Warning System, Tsunami frequently asked questions, https://www.tsunami.gov/?page=tsunamiFAQ : a large and sudden displacement of the ocean; earthquakes on thrust or reverse faults and the vertical movement of the ocean floor; waves radiating outward in all directions; long and barely noticeable in the deep ocean; slowing, shortening and growing in height in shallow water; the water suddenly receding and showing the ocean floor; inundation and flooding of low-lying coastal areas. (2) NOAA JetStream, Tsunami propagation, https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/tsunamis/tsunami-propagation : the same account of deep and shallow water. (3) US Geological Survey, Life of a Tsunami, https://www.usgs.gov/centers/pcmsc/science/life-a-tsunami : the sea floor uplifted and the water column pushed up, the tsunami splitting and traveling both ways, amplitude rising and wavelength falling over the slope, the sea receding when a trough arrives first, runup as the height of the water onshore above a reference sea level, tsunamis traveling farther inland than normal waves. (4) US Geological Survey, What is it about an earthquake that causes a tsunami?, https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-it-about-earthquake-causes-tsunami : a shallow marine earthquake that displaces the sea floor; thrust earthquakes. (5) Wikipedia, Tsunami, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsunami : displacement of water, thrust faults, long wavelength and small height offshore, growth in shallower water, drawback exposing normally submerged areas, run-up above a reference sea level, inundation. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-03 from plain geometry. Own original drawing; nothing is traced or copied. Licence: own work

How it works

This labeled tsunami diagram follows the wave in three drawings: how an earthquake under the sea starts it, how it changes near the shore, and how far it reaches on land.

Read the full guide

Out at sea

A fault under the sea floor moves in an earthquake and pushes part of the sea floor up. The water above is lifted with it. That displaced water spreads out as waves in all directions. In deep water each wave is long and low.

Near shore and on land

In shallow water the wave slows down, bunches up and grows taller. Sometimes the sea runs out first and leaves the sea floor bare. On land, inundation is the flooding of the ground, and run-up is how high above normal sea level the water reaches.

  • The heights are drawn far too large: in the deep ocean a tsunami is barely noticeable.
  • A tsunami is a series of waves, not one wave.

Questions and answers

What causes a tsunami?

A large and sudden displacement of the ocean. Large earthquakes below or near the ocean floor are the most common cause. Landslides and volcanic activity can cause tsunamis too.

Why does a tsunami get taller near the shore?

As the waves enter shallow water near land they slow down. Their wavelengths shorten and they grow in height. In the deep ocean the same waves are long, low and barely noticeable.

Is a tsunami the same as a tidal wave?

No. Tides come from the pull of the Moon and the Sun on the oceans. A tsunami comes from a sudden displacement of water, so tidal wave is the wrong name for it.

What is the difference between run-up and inundation?

Run-up is a height: how high above a reference sea level the water reaches on shore. Inundation is the flooding of the land. On the drawing, run-up is the upright arrow and inundation the level arrow.

Where can I print a labeled diagram of a tsunami?

Here. Print the drawing with the names as a key, or print it blank and write the eleven names in.

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