Triggered by underwater seismic activity offshore, the 100-foot-high tsunami waves were completely annihilated in 14 countries, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in history.
December 26, 2021 marks the 17th anniversary of the devastating 2004 earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean that hit the coasts of several countries in South and Southeast Asia and wreaked havoc on the local population.
Ranked among the worst calamities in this part of the world, more than 230,000 people in India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Thailand and Indonesia were and countries suffered billions of dollars in property damage following the tsunami of 100 feet triggered by magnitude 9.1 earthquake.
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami is also known as the Boxing Day tsunami or, in the scientific community, the Sumatran Anddaman earthquake. According to a CNN report, the tremors were so powerful that it was one of those rare cases the whole planet vibrated and no place on Earth escaped movement.
“Overall, this earthquake was large enough to vibrate the entire planet down to half an inch or a centimeter,” the report cited, citing an associate professor of geosciences at Penn State University in the United States. “Everywhere we had instruments, we could see movement.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami on its 17th anniversary: Where was the epicenter of the earthquake? The submarine mega-earthquake, which recorded a magnitude of 9.1-9.3, originated in an epicenter off the west coast of North Sumatra in Indonesia, caused by a rupture along the fault line between the Burmese and Indian plates.
The earthquake was immediately felt in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand and the Maldives. Later the tsunami followed, and as a result of the emergence of the seabed, the height and intensity of the tsunami waves increased dramatically and led to the destruction of communities along the surrounding ocean shores Indian.
Among the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history Triggered by underwater seismic activity on the high seas, the 100-foot-high tsunami waves exposed complete annihilation in as many as 14 countries, this which makes it one of the deadliest natural disasters in geological history.
According to estimates, the 2004 earthquake was the third largest of its kind on record, and even managed to trigger aftershocks as far as Alaska. The plight of the people and countries affected has prompted a global humanitarian response, with donations totaling more than $ 14 billion.
Indonesia, most affected by the disaster, was no stranger to the earthquakes, however, located between the Pacific Ring of Fire and the Alpine Belt along the south and west. Indeed, the Sumatran earthquake in 2002 would have been a premonitory shock of this major event.
A revelation for India The earthquake and tsunami in Sumatra are considered a revelation for India because they exposed the Indian coast to the tsunami and its destructive power. Learning from the lessons of the unprecedented natural disaster that caused such damage to life and property, the Land Ministry founded India’s Tsunami Early Warning System and ITEWS at the Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad in October 2007.
Indian scientists are now able to predict and project movements in the Indian Ocean through real-time seismic monitoring with pressure recorders (BPRs), a tide gauge and a 24/7 Tsunami Warning Operating System to detect tsunami-related earthquakes to provide timely alerts to the most vulnerable.
India eventually became the first country to establish an early warning system for tsunami detection, while Odisha became the first state in the country to achieve Tsunami Ready recognition.
