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A surf wave versus a tsunami

Cartoon image showing a person standing by a surf wave versus a tsunami wave.

Tsunamis have much more energy than a surf wave, so they last for longer and are much faster. The shape of the two waves is also completely different.

Diagram courtesy of GeoNet.  

Glossary

Rights: Earth Sciences New Zealand, CC BY 3.0 NZ
Published: 2 May 2011Updated: 12 January 2026Size: 664 KB
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