The Southeast Asia Tsunami
On December 26th, 2004 (Boxing Day) at 07:58:53 local time, a massive undersea earthquake, measuring between 8.5 and 9.0 on the Richter scale occurred about 100 miles west of the Island of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean, lasting nearly 10 minutes. Quakes of the magnitude reported have only been recorded 4 other times since 1900:
- Prince William Sound, Alaska - 1964
- Chile - 1960
- the Andreanof Islands in the Aleutian Island group (Alaska) - 1957, and
- Kamchatka Peninsula, on the northeast Pacific coast of Russia - 1952
The
Sumatra quake, while causing little direct damage, since it originated nearly
30km below the earth's surface at sea, triggered a massive Tsunami (or tidal
wave) which travelled more than 8000 km at ocean speeds of up to 500
km/h; near land (in shallow water) the Tsunami travelled at only 10's of
kilometres per hour. The quake is estimated to have displaced up to
30 cubic kilometres of water at its origin! The Tsunami wave was at
least 24 metres high, and possibly reached 30 metres (100 feet) in some
areas. This event is rated as the single worst Tsunami in recorded
history!
The tidal wave, when it struck, caused massive damage and loss of life to coastal (and inland!) areas of Southeast Asia, resulting in a death toll in excess of 250,000 and at least 1,000,000 people left homeless.
The extent of the Tsunami's influence is shown in the following map; areas
in gold were directly affected:
Devastation
in many areas of the Indian Ocean was nearly complete, as shown in the aerial
photograph to the right of Banda Aceh, Sumatra. Photograph and
enlargement are copyrighted, provided by DigitalGlobe. Click on the
image for an enlargement.
