1. Trough arrives first (on the side of the fault where the seafloor drops down)
2. Water rapidly drains off the land
4. Tsunamis are a series of waves → alternating series of dramatic surges and withdrawals of water widely separated in time (5 to 10 minutes)
5. The first surge is rarely the largest
6. Speed of advance (up to 4m/s) is faster than any human can run