Earthquake Journal Entry
Toll Soars From Quake and Tsunami (January 3, 2005)
Computer map shows how long it took for tsunami waves to spread from the earthquake's epicenter near the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The waves took about seven hours to reach the coast of Africa. NOAA.
The most powerful earthquake to hit anywhere on the planet in the past forty years struck below the ocean floor off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra on December 26. Strong aftershocks continued rumbling across the region this week.
The massive magnitude 9.0 tremor triggered huge tsunami waves that caused scenes of unimaginable devastation to coastal areas of southern Asia and as far as eastern Africa 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers) away. Tsunami waves built up speeds of 500 mph (800 km/h) as they slammed into the coasts of eleven nations.
The quake hit with mind-boggling intensity. It struck with a force equal to 32 billion tons of TNT, roughly equal to 2 million bombs the size of the one that destroyed Hiroshima in World War II.
At least 140,000 people were killed worldwide, the worst toll from a tsunami in recorded history. About five million others were left homeless as hundreds of coastal villages were washed away. In Indonesia, where the death toll reached 100,000, about four-fifths of western Sumatra was destroyed. Sri Lanka, with about 30,000 deaths, India (11,000 killed) and Thailand (over 5,000 killed) also suffered heavy losses of life.
For survivors in devastated areas, life will be tough for some time to come. Millions of homeless people are packed closely together living outdoors or in primitive camps or shelters. The threat of waterborne diseases like cholera from contaminated water is high. A huge international relief effort is underway to bring fresh water, food, and emergency supplies to stricken countries. But relief efforts in some areas, such as Sri Lanka, have been slowed by stormy weather.
The earthquake was the fourth biggest ever recorded by scientists and the strongest since a magnitude 9.2 tremor struck Prince William Sound, Alaska in 1964. It's also the most deadly quake since the a catastrophic 7.6 tremor killed at least a quarter of a million people in China in 1976.
The quake struck in the region where the India plate pushes below the Burma plate about 160 miles (255 km) southeast of Banda Aceh on Sumatra. The plates suddenly thrust past each other about 6 miles (10 km) below the ocean floor. The sudden movement jerked the ocean floor violently, which forced ocean water upward. The force was transmitted across the ocean by the huge tsunami waves that followed.
