Why does the ocean recede prior to a tsunami? Where does the water go?

Question

Why does the ocean recede prior to a tsunami? Where does the water go?

In: Planetary Science

Answer 1

Tsunamis can be formed from a convergent earthquake, which then lifts up a column of water, which when it makes landfall becomes a Tsunami. This column is relatively small in the open ocean and gets higher as the sea become shallow, this results in what is known as drawback basically building the massive wave from the surrounding water. https://youtu.be/QcQv3RJjNYQ