The sheer scale of the event left entire communities obliterated and claimed over 230,000 lives across 14 countries. Unlike typical strike-slip earthquakes that slide horizontally, this event involved a violent vertical displacement of the seafloor, pushing a massive column of water upward.
Debunking Common Myths About the 2004 Tsunami's Origins
In some areas, the runup reached staggering heights of 30 meters (100 feet), overwhelming coastal defenses and sweeping away everything in its path. The rupture occurred along the Sunda Megathrust, a massive fault line where the Indian Plate is forced beneath the Burma Plate.
The Generation of Waves When the seafloor displaces vertically, it acts like a giant piston, pushing the water column directly above it. This made it the third most powerful earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph.
Debunking Myths About the 2004 Tsunami’s Science
On December 26, 2004, the world witnessed one of the most devastating natural disasters in recorded history. The 2004 tsunami, often referred to as the Indian Ocean tsunami, was triggered by a massive undersea earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.
More About How did the 2004 tsunami happen
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