March 27 (Reuters) – Observations made by a satellite operated by the U.S. and French space agencies shortly after a strong earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula last year are giving scientists a better understanding of how tsunamis originate and propagate.The researchers said the findings may help improve understanding of future tsunamis and earthquakes at subduction zones, particularly near the ocean trench where two tectonic plates meet and one slides beneath the other. The strongest tsunamis often are generated by such quakes.The magnitude 8.8 quake struck on July 29, 2025, triggering a tsunami that spread across the Pacific Ocean. A tsunami – a series of extremely long and powerful ocean waves – is caused by large movements of the seafloor that push water up or down, often during earthquakes or landslides that occur under water.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe NASA-CNES Surface Water and Ocean Topography, or SWOT, satellite made its observations within 70 minutes of the start of the earthquake. It observed not only the leading wave of the tsunami but also a distinct pattern of smaller waves trailing behind it. Such wave patterns had long been predicted in computer models and theoretical studies, but had been difficult to confirm with real-world observations, the researchers said.”I believe SWOT represents a new lens for observing and studying tsunamis and their generation,” said Ignacio Sepúlveda, a professor of coastal engineering at San Diego State University and lead author of the study published this week in the jour …
