The phenomenon known as "runup" occurred, where the water rushed inland, often traveling kilometers away from the coastline. While ordinary wind-driven ocean waves have wavelengths of about 100 meters, the waves generated by this earthquake had wavelengths exceeding 200 kilometers.
2004 Tsunami Impact Regions: Understanding Science and Runup Dynamics
In some locations, the waves slowed to the point where the massive amount of water behind them continued to surge forward, causing the wave to rise vertically. This initial displacement generates a series of waves that radiate outward in a circular pattern from the epicenter, which was located approximately 160 kilometers west of Sumatra.
The Seismic Trigger: The Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake The genesis of the 2004 tsunami was a megathrust earthquake with a magnitude estimated between 9. The depth of the ocean played a crucial role; in deep water, the wave energy extends far below the surface, allowing the wave to maintain its speed and power over thousands of kilometers.
2004 Tsunami Impact Regions: Understanding Science and Runup Dynamics
This made it the third most powerful earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. In the region of the 2004 earthquake, the Indian Plate converges with the Burma Plate at a rate of about 6 centimeters per year.
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