2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami

"Boxing Day earthquake" redirects here. For the 2010 Christchurch earthquake, see December 2010 Christchurch earthquake.

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
  • From top, left to right: Banda Aceh, Indonesia, after the tsunami • Korean rescue workers recovering a body under debris • a man searching through rubble in Meulaboh • people running away from the tsunami • a tsunami memorial in Kerala, India
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami is located in Indian Ocean
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami is located in Sumatra
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami is located in Earth
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
UTC time2004-12-26 00:58:53
ISC event7453151
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local date26 December 2004; 19 years ago (2004-12-26)[1]
Local time
Duration10 minutes
Magnitude9.2–9.3 Mw
Depth30 km (19 mi)[1]
Epicentre3°18′58″N 95°51′14″E / 3.316°N 95.854°E / 3.316; 95.854[1]
TypeMegathrust
Areas affectedIndian Ocean coastline areas
Max. intensityMMI IX (Violent)
Tsunami
  • 15 to 30 m (50 to 100 ft);[2][3]
  • max. 51 m (167 ft)[4]
Casualties227,898 dead[5][6]

On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.2–9.3 Mw struck with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The undersea megathrust earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake,[8][9] was caused by a rupture along the fault between the Burma plate and the Indian plate, and reached a Mercalli intensity up to IX in some areas.

A massive tsunami with waves up to 30 m (100 ft) high, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami after the Boxing Day holiday, or as the Asian Tsunami,[10] devastated communities along the surrounding coasts of the Indian Ocean, killing an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries in one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. The direct results caused major disruptions to living conditions and commerce in coastal provinces of surrounded countries, including Aceh (Indonesia), Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu (India) and Khao Lak (Thailand). Banda Aceh reported the largest number of deaths. It is the deadliest natural disaster of the 21st century,[11] and the worst tsunami disaster in history.[12] It is also the worst natural disaster in the history of Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand.[13]

It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Asia, the most powerful earthquake in the 21st century, and at least the third most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the world since modern seismography began in 1900.[14][a] It had the longest fault rupture ever observed, between 1,200 km to 1,300 km (720 mi to 780 mi), and had the longest duration of faulting ever observed, at least ten minutes.[18] It caused the planet to vibrate as much as 10 mm (0.4 in),[19] and also remotely triggered earthquakes as far away as Alaska.[20] Its epicentre was between Simeulue and mainland Sumatra.[21] The plight of the affected people and countries prompted a worldwide humanitarian response, with donations totalling more than US$14 billion[22] (equivalent to US$23 billion in 2023 currency).

  1. ^ a b c National Earthquake Information Center (26 December 2004). "M 9.1 – 2004 Sumatra – Andaman Islands Earthquake". United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 26 September 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Astonishing Wave Heights Among the Findings of an International Tsunami Survey Team on Sumatra". United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Paris was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Paris, Raphaël; Cachão, Mário; Fournier, Jérôme; Voldoire, Olivier (1 April 2010). "Nannoliths abundance and distribution in tsunami deposits: example from the December 26, 2004 tsunami in Lhok Nga (north-west Sumatra, Indonesia)". Géomorphologie: Relief, Processus, Environnement. 16 (1): 109–118. doi:10.4000/geomorphologie.7865. ISSN 1266-5304. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  5. ^ Telford, John; Cosgrave, John (2006). Joint Evaluation of the International Response to the Indian Ocean Tsunami: Synthesis Report (PDF). London: Tsunami Evaluation Coalition. p. 33. ISBN 0-85003-807-3.
  6. ^ "Earthquakes with 50,000 or More Deaths". United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013.
  7. ^ "Indian Ocean Tsunami – Economic Aspects". indianoceantsunami.web.unc.edu. Archived from the original on 18 April 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  8. ^ Lay, T.; Kanamori, H.; Ammon, C.; Nettles, M.; Ward, S.; Aster, R.; Beck, S.; Bilek, S.; Brudzinski, M.; Butler, R.; DeShon, H.; Ekström, G.; Satake, K.; Sipkin, S. (20 May 2005). "The Great Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake of 26 December 2004" (PDF). Science. 308 (5725): 1127–1133. Bibcode:2005Sci...308.1127L. doi:10.1126/science.1112250. PMID 15905392. S2CID 43739943. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Tsunamis and Earthquakes: Tsunami Generation from the 2004 Sumatra Earthquake – USGS Western Coastal and Marine Geology". Walrus.wr.usgs.gov. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  10. ^ "A decade after the 2004 Asian Tsunami: recalling the turning point for disaster management". World Health Organization. 24 December 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  11. ^ Goff, James; Dudley, Walter C. (2021). "Boxing Day: The World's Worst Disaster of the 21st Century". Tsunami: The World's Greatest Waves. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 189. doi:10.1093/oso/9780197546123.001.0001. ISBN 9780197546123.
  12. ^ Satake, Kenji (13 November 2014). "Advances in earthquake and tsunami sciences and disaster risk reduction since the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami". Geoscience Letters. 1 (1): 15. Bibcode:2014GSL.....1...15S. doi:10.1186/s40562-014-0015-7. ISSN 2196-4092.
  13. ^ Athukorala, Prema-chandra (2012). "Indian Ocean Tsunami: Disaster, Generosity and Recovery". Asian Economic Journal. 26 (3): 211–231. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8381.2012.02083.x. ISSN 1351-3958.
  14. ^ Gross, Richard S.; Chao, Benjamin F. (1 November 2006). "The rotational and gravitational signature of the December 26, 2004 Sumatran earthquake". Surveys in Geophysics. 27 (6): 615–632. Bibcode:2006SGeo...27..615G. doi:10.1007/s10712-006-9008-1. ISSN 1573-0956.
  15. ^ ANSS. "M 9.2 – The 1964 Prince William Sound, Alaska Earthquake 1964". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.
  16. ^ ANSS. "M 9.5 – 1960 Great Chilean Earthquake (Valdivia Earthquake) 1960". Comprehensive Catalog. U.S. Geological Survey.
  17. ^ "What are the biggest historical earthquakes?". Earth Observatory of Singapore. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  18. ^ "Analysis of the Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake Reveals Longest Fault Rupture Ever". National Science Foundation. 19 May 2005. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  19. ^ Walton, Marsha (20 May 2005). "Scientists: Sumatra quake longest ever recorded". CNN. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  20. ^ West, Michael; Sanches, John J.; McNutt, Stephen R. (20 May 2005). "Periodically Triggered Seismicity at Mount Wrangell, Alaska, After the Sumatra Earthquake". Science. 308 (5725): 1144–1146. Bibcode:2005Sci...308.1144W. doi:10.1126/science.1112462. PMID 15905395. S2CID 27869948.
  21. ^ Nalbant, Suleyman S.; Steacy, Sandy; Sieh, Kerry; Natawidjaja, Danny; McCloskey, John (9 June 2005). "Seismology: Earthquake risk on the Sunda trench" (PDF). Nature. 435 (7043): 756–757. Bibcode:2005Natur.435..756N. doi:10.1038/nature435756a. hdl:10220/8668. PMID 15944691. S2CID 4321796. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 June 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  22. ^ Jayasuriya, Sisira; McCawley, Peter (2010). The Asian Tsunami: Aid and Reconstruction after a Disaster. Cheltenham, UK; Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar. ISBN 978-1-84844-692-2. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.


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