Teletsunamis

map of tsunami travel times for earthquake off the coast of California

Travel time map for a hypothetical earthquake along the northwest U.S. coast

Tsunamis that cross oceans to reach locations more than 1000 kilometers away are called teletsunamis, from the Greek word "tele," meaning distance or distant. These tsunamis travel a few hours or more before reaching distant shores, giving scientists time to estimate wave arrival times and wave heights at locations far from the source.