The phrase 'cause astonishment' is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it when you want to suggest that something is very surprising or shocking. For example: The revelation that he had stolen the money caused astonishment throughout the entire town.
This caused astonishment in the media.
Trump's remarks caused astonishment and anger among current and former C.I.A. officials.
Frank-Walter Frank-Walter SteinmeieroreiGermanyster, noted that Trump's comments had "caused astonishment and commotion" in Europe.
The disappearance of the girls – two aged 15, the other aged 16 – caused astonishment when their images were captured on CCTV at Gatwick airport.
After a meeting at NATO headquarters, in Brussels, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that Trump's comments had caused "astonishment and commotion" among every NATO nation.
The stunning ascent of Lady Ashton of Upholland, 53, who is married to the psephologist and political commentator Peter Kellner, caused astonishment in Brussels.
It is the sort of excuse worthy of a shame-faced schoolboy, but the 40-year-old former French trade minister, Thomas Thévenoud, caused astonishment when he blamed his failure to pay rent or taxes on "administration phobia".
Earlier in 1958, Domenico Modugno had caused astonishment by raising his hands in the air during his performance of Nel blu dipinto di blu ("Volare").
In the course of a long evening, billions of viewers were induced not so much to revise their opinion of China as to realize that its formidable manpower could be harnessed to the cause of astonishment.
A father who was a doctor and a mother who was a chic housewife could suddenly be a cause of astonishment, delight or chilly disbelief, as in this exchange from my elementary school years: The parent of a friend: "And what does your father do?" Me: "He's a pediatrician".
