Tsunamis occur as a result of large earthquakes. During the earthquake, a broad area of the ocean floor pops up or drops down. This causes the ocean water above to pop up or drop down, which then causes a wave to form that propagates outwards, much like the ripples you see after throwing a rock into a pond. When the waves reach shore, they flood the coastal areas, sometimes with up to 30 feet of water.

Unlike tsunamis, hurricanes are mainly an atmospheric process. Hurricanes are big storms that form over areas of warm ocean water. As they grow in strength, they form into a spinning storm system that can stretch for hundreds of miles. Inside the storm, winds are over 75 mph, and can reach over 150 mph! There is also very heavy, consistent rain inside the storm. One aspect of hurricanes that is similar to tsunamis is the storm surge. Hurricanes often bring with them a storm surge, which is a broad dome of higher sea level, lifted up by the low pressure in the storm center. When the storm surge reaches the shore, it can swamp much of the coastal area, causing damage that is similar to tsunami damage.

So, in summary, tsunamis are caused by earthquakes shifting the ocean floor, and hurricanes are big storms that form in the atmosphere over warm ocean waters.

Tsunamis refer to giant waves of water that are typically caused by undersea earthquakes or volcanic activity. Hurricanes, on the other hand, are large storms of rain and wind that are the result of large amounts of warm air rising over the ocean at the equator.

A tsunami is a wave of water while a hurricane is a storm system, and each are caused by different forces. Earthquakes are one common cause of tsunamis, though they can also be caused by landslides, pieces of glaciers falling into the ocean, meteorite impacts, and anything else that displaces a huge amount of water in the ocean. Tsunamis involve very large volumes of water, and when they come ashore they can look more like a rapidly rising tide than a typical wave you see breaking on the beach.

Hurricanes develop over the ocean when conditions in the atmosphere and at the water's surface are just right. Hurricanes can move across the ocean and over land, bringing heavy rain and strong wind. Sometimes hurricanes cause what's called "storm surge"--an offshore rise of water caused by high winds that can flood coastal areas. Storm surge is different from a tsunami, though.

Both tsunamis and hurricanes mainly affect coastal areas, and they both can cause devastation

A hurricane is a type of storm that has powerful winds and torrential rain. A tsunami is a giant wave triggered by an earthquake.