The day after Christmas in 2004, an undersea earthquake occurred in the Indian Ocean near the west coast of Sumatria, releasing the energy equivalent to 23,000 atom bombs like the one that hit Hiroshima and causing the deaths of 227,898 people in fifteen nations, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It registered a magnitude of 9.1 and lasted close to ten minutes. It triggered a tsunami which reached heights of 50 feet and traveled as far away as Africa, 3,000 miles away. It also caused the earth to vibrate almost half an inch, triggering numerous other earthquakes, including one in Alaska. Perhaps the most mind-boggling fact is that the quake altered the rotation of the Earth, caused it to wobble on its axis an inch or more, and shortened the length of a day by 2.65 microseconds.
Recommended Resources
Dr. George: Indian Ocean Tsunami
Dr. George shares details about the tsunami and earthquake in the Indian Ocean with maps, information about magnitude and energy release, tectonic setting, and aftershocks.
http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Tsunami2004Indonesia.html
National Geographic: The Deadliest Tsunami in History?
National Geographic's article about the deadliest tsunami in history: the Great Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004, the events, how many died, and how to get into the data.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1227_041226_tsunami.html
NOAA Center for Tsunami Research: December 26, 2004
The official tsunami tracking organization shares this compilation of seismic data, GIS, photographs, videos, and model simulations of the Boxing Day earthquake and tsunami in Sumatra.
http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/sumatra20041226.html
The Most Destructive Tsunamis: Sumatra, Indonesia 2004
Displays photographs and information about the tsunami as well as video and a full documentary about Banda Aceh and the tsunami.
http://www.sms-tsunami-warning.com/pages/tsunami-sumatra-2004#.Unm2iSRf7KI
