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. … major strike slip faults in the overriding plate of the subduction zone.
Can you swim in 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.” … A tsunami is actually a series of waves, and the first one might not be the largest.
What happened in the Indian Ocean on December 26 2004?
A powerful undersea earthquake that struck off the coast of Sumatra island, Indonesia, set off the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, also known as the Christmas or Boxing Day tsunami, on Sunday morning, Dec. 26, 2004.
How long did the 2004 tsunami last?
The 2004 quake ruptured a 900-mile stretch along the Indian and Australian plates 31 miles below the ocean floor. Rather than delivering one violent jolt, the quake lasted an unrelenting 10 minutes, releasing as much pent-up power as several thousand atomic bombs.
Which country was worst hit by the 2004 tsunami?
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 is 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. Remarkably, only two fatalities occurred.
Has the US ever had a tsunami?
Large tsunamis have occurred in the United States and will undoubtedly occur again. … The tsunami generated by the 1964 magnitude 9.2 earthquake in the Gulf of Alaska (Prince William Sound) caused damage and loss of life across the Pacific, including Alaska, Hawaii, California, Oregon, and Washington.
How tall can a tsunami get?
In some places a tsunami may cause the sea to rise vertically only a few inches or feet. In other places tsunamis have been known to surge vertically as high as 100 feet (30 meters). Most tsunamis cause the sea to rise no more than 10 feet (3 meters).
How much did the 2004 tsunami cost?
For example, the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, with a death toll of around 230,000 people, cost a ‘mere’ $15 billion, whereas in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in which 11 people died, the damages were six-fold.
Can you surf a tsunami?
You can’t surf a tsunami because it doesn’t have a face. … On the contrary, a tsunami wave approaching land is more like a wall of whitewater. It doesn’t stack up cleanly into a breaking wave; only a portion of the wave is able to stack up tall.
What are the 5 biggest tsunamis?
10 worst tsunamis in history
- Sumatra, Indonesia – 26 December 2004. …
- North Pacific Coast, Japan – 11 March 2011. …
- Lisbon, Portugal – 1 November 1755. …
- Krakatau, Indonesia – 27 August 1883. …
- Enshunada Sea, Japan – 20 September 1498. …
- Nankaido, Japan – 28 October 1707. …
- Sanriku, Japan – 15 June 1896. …
- Northern Chile – 13 August 1868.
How many people left homeless in 2004 tsunami?
Tsunami of 2004, caused by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, is the most devastating tsunami in modern times, affecting 18 countries in Southeast Asia and Southern Africa, killing more than 250,000 people in a single day, and leaving more than 1.7 million homeless.
Did the 2004 tsunami hit South Africa?
In a total of 3 tidal waves classified as a tsunami since 1969 a total of 3 people died in South Africa. The biggest impact in terms of lifes, injuries, destroyed homes and economy had been a tsunami on 12/26/2004. … A tidal wave of up to 1.5 meters killed 3 humans and destroyed vast areas.
Has New Zealand ever had a tsunami?
New Zealand has experienced about 10 tsunamis higher than 5m since 1840. Some were caused by distant earthquakes, but most by seafloor quakes not far off the coast. … Some tsunamis are turbulent, foaming walls of water filled with debris and sand that crash ashore and sweep inland.
When was the bad tsunami?
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 is the most active tsunami area?
Where do tsunamis most often occur in the world? Tsunamis occur most often in the Pacific Ocean and Indonesia because the Pacific Rim bordering the Ocean has a large number of active submarine earthquake zones.
Where did tsunami hit in India?
On this day, a 100-foot high tsunami triggered by an earthquake of magnitude 9.1, one of the largest ever recorded, from under the Indian Ocean killed more than 230,000 people in South Asia. With the epicentre near Sumatra, Indonesia, the earthquake triggered a tsunami that hit Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia.
How do you survive a tsunami?
IF YOU ARE UNDER A TSUNAMI WARNING:
- First, protect yourself from an Earthquake. …
- Get to high ground as far inland as possible. …
- Be alert to signs of a tsunami, such as a sudden rise or draining of ocean waters.
- Listen to emergency information and alerts.
- Evacuate: DO NOT wait! …
- If you are in a boat, go out to sea.
Can animals sense a tsunami?
Tsunamis are large waves created by earthquakes or other large disturbances in the ocean like landslides. The low vibrations created by such an earthquake sometimes cannot be detected by humans, whereas larger animals like elephants can sense the vibrations earlier.