What caused the earthquake in Sumatra?
Tectonics of Sumatra-Andaman Islands
Sumatra and the Andaman Islands are part of an island arc. The December 26, 2004 M=9.1 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake occurred along a tectonic subduction zone in which the India Plate, an oceanic plate, is being subducted beneath the Burma micro-plate, part of the larger Sunda plate.
When did the massive earthquake struck western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia?
December 26, 2004
A powerful earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, on December 26, 2004 sets off a tsunami that wreaks death and devastation across the Indian Ocean coastline. The quake was the second strongest ever recorded and the estimated 230,000 dead made this disaster one of the 10 worst of all time.
What’s the strongest earthquake ever recorded?
magnitude 9.5
Earth Science FAQs – Geology and Tectonics
The biggest earthquake ever recorded, of magnitude 9.5, happened in 1960 in Chile, at a subduction zone where the Pacific plate dives under the South American plate.
How long did the Sumatra tsunami last?
seven hours
The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 lasted for seven hours and reached out across the Indian Ocean, devastating coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, and Thailand, and as far away as East Africa.
How many deaths did the Sumatra earthquake cause?
There were 1117 people killed in the initial earthquake, 1214 people who sustained serious injuries and 1688 who sustained minor injuries. Approximately 135,448 homes were seriously damaged, while 78,604 sustained only minor damage.
How long was the Sumatra earthquake?
about 10 minutes
Rather than tearing the land apart all at once, the rupture started beneath the epicenter marked in the figure below and progressed northward along the fault at about 2 km/sec (1.2 miles/second). The whole rupture lasted about 10 minutes.
Did anyone survive the 2004 tsunami?
26, 2004, when a 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the Indonesian coast sent tidal wave speeding toward Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. It killed more than 230,000 people, including Wong. But Lang survived.
How many tourists died in 2004 tsunami?
Among the 5,400 who died were 2,000 foreign tourists. +2 hours: The tsunami strikes the Sri Lankan coastline from the northeast and all around the southern tip; more than 30,000 people are dead or missing.
Has there ever been a 10.0 earthquake?
No, earthquakes of magnitude 10 or larger cannot happen. The magnitude of an earthquake is related to the length of the fault on which it occurs.
Which country has the most earthquakes?
For which country do we locate the most earthquakes? Japan. The whole country is in a very active seismic area, and they have the densest seismic network in the world, so they are able to record many earthquakes.
What was the worst tsunami ever?
the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004
Perhaps the most destructive tsunami in recorded history was the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004. A 9.1-magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia.
What’s the biggest tsunami ever?
Lituya Bay, Alaska, July 9, 1958
Its over 1,700-foot wave was the largest ever recorded for a tsunami. It inundated five square miles of land and cleared hundreds of thousands of trees.
What is the largest tsunami in history?
What is the longest fault line in the world?
What is the San Andreas Fault?
- This fault is one of the largest faults in the world, running more than 800 miles from the Salton Sea to Cape Mendocino.
- See Your Local Earthquake Risk.
- Scientist project the San Andreas fault line could cause a devastating earthquake in California by 2030.
What was the damage of the Sumatra earthquake?
Can you swim under a tsunami?
“A person will be just swept up in it and carried along as debris; there’s no swimming out of a tsunami,” Garrison-Laney says. “There’s so much debris in the water that you’ll probably get crushed.” Eventually, the wave will pull back, dragging cars, trees, and buildings with it.
Can you survive a tsunami in a car?
How to Survive a Tsunami, According to Science – YouTube
Did they know the 2004 tsunami was coming?
Quite simply, they had no idea it was coming. That’s because despite a history of tsunamis caused by volcanoes and earthquakes, Indonesia has not had an effective early warning system for years.
What would a 20.0 earthquake do?
A magnitude 20 earthquake would produce more than enough energy to overcome the gravitational binding energy and destroy our planet. But the good news is that we would likely see the massive asteroid coming and would have time to prepare for everything that comes with it.
Is the big one real?
The ‘Big One’ is a hypothetical earthquake of magnitude ~8 or greater that is expected to happen along the SAF. Such a quake will produce devastation to human civilization within about 50-100 miles of the SAF quake zone, especially in urban areas like Palm Springs, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
What country is in the Ring of Fire?
The Pacific Ring of Fire stretches across 15 more countries including Indonesia, New Zealand, Papa New Guinea, Philippines, Japan, United States, Chile, Canada, Guatemala, Russia and Peru etc (fig. 3).
Where is the Ring of Fire?
the Pacific Ocean
The Ring of Fire, also referred to as the Circum-Pacific Belt, is a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. The majority of Earth’s volcanoes and earthquakes take place along the Ring of Fire.
Can a boat survive a tsunami?
Boats are safer from tsunami damage while in the deep ocean ( > 100 m) rather than moored in a harbor. But, do not risk your life and attempt to motor your boat into deep water if it is too close to wave arrival time. Anticipate slowdowns caused by traffic gridlock and hundreds of other boaters heading out to sea.
Can you duck dive a tsunami?
You can’t duck-dive because the entire water column is in motion, not just the top few feet. You can’t exit the wave, either, because the trough behind is 100 miles away, and all that water is moving towards you.
How big was the tsunami that killed the dinosaurs?
Arriving at 40,000 miles per hour, the asteroid had the energy of 3 billion WW II era atomic bombs. Vertical Impact: Numbers = Wave Height in meters. Close in, tsunami waves reached about 100 m in height. Along the Mexican coast, the waves were 30-50 m.