What is a really good tsunami experiment I can do that show how tsunamis work?

Answer 1

A tsunami is nothing more than a huge movement of water caused by a major seismic event, like an earthquake.

One way of illustrating this is by getting an aquarium, and building a sandy beach in it (make sure that it has a rim that will prevent the water from washing away the sand too early). The beach should slope slightly, to enhance the effect.

Then, fill it with water to just below the edge of the rim. This will give you a sea with a sandy beach.

Then, fill a container with water (like a small water bucket attached to a piece of rope) and put it in the water. If you measured it correctly, that should put the water to just at the edge of the beach.

Now, to replicate a tsunami, grab hold of the rope and pull up the bucket, then let it drop into the water again.

What you will see is that as the bucket is hoisted, the sea retracts, returning like a huge wave washing over the beach once you drop the bucket again. This is exactly what it looks like when a tsunami happens.

Answer 2

You can create a simple tsunami experiment using a large container of water to represent the ocean, then drop weighted objects (like marbles) into the water to simulate an underwater earthquake. The ripples created in the water represent the tsunami waves. You can also add obstacles, like sand or small objects, on the "shore" to show how tsunamis can move and impact the land when they reach shallow areas.