The sheer scale of the event left entire communities obliterated and claimed over 230,000 lives across 14 countries. As the water depth decreased—a process known as shoaling—the wave speed slowed dramatically.
How Ocean Depth Changed Tsunami Waves as They Approached Shore
Because the energy was spread over such a vast distance, the waves in the open ocean were not particularly tall, often measuring less than a meter in height and going unnoticed by ships at sea. The Seismic Trigger: The Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake The genesis of the 2004 tsunami was a megathrust earthquake with a magnitude estimated between 9.
This made it the third most powerful earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph. Upon reaching the shore, the waves did not simply retreat back into the ocean after the first impact.
How Ocean Depth Changed Tsunami Waves as They Moved Inshore
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. In some areas, the runup reached staggering heights of 30 meters (100 feet), overwhelming coastal defenses and sweeping away everything in its path.
More About How did the 2004 tsunami happen
Looking at How did the 2004 tsunami happen from another angle can help expand the discussion and give readers a second clear paragraph under the same section.
More perspective on How did the 2004 tsunami happen can make the topic easier to follow by connecting earlier points with a few simple takeaways.
