Rapids

Why are tsunamis portrayed as huge crescent shaped waves when they are more like river rapids?

Public Comments

1. A wave is formed when a lot of water is moving in deep water toward shore. As the depth gets more shallow, the water has to move up so it pops up creating the wave. A tsunami is exactly that, a whole lot of water rushing towards shore due to, normally, an earthquake and it does make a big wave. I think you are mistaking seeing what happens after it gets on shore to what it is doing out in the water.