Geography, retrospect: tidal wave

Self-tutoring about geography: the tutor mentions the idea of a “tidal wave.”

Back when I was a kid, “tidal wave” meant a big wave. They came to be associated with danger. I never thought of the literal meaning of “tidal wave,” which suggests that it’s connected with the tide.

Yet, it seems that the dramatic waves I heard called “tidal waves” when I was a kid likely didn’t result from the tide. To be that size (they were often pictured as ten or twenty feet high), they more likely resulted from high winds and/or seismic activity.

I haven’t heard of “tidal wave” since the 70s; I wonder if a movie or TV show centered around them back then.

Source:

americanoceans.org