What are some fun facts about the Indian Ocean tsunami?

What are some fun facts about the Indian Ocean tsunami?

Indian Ocean tsunami: Facts and figures

  • The 9.1 magnitude earthquake that prompted the tsunami was the third strongest since records began in 1899.
  • The energy released by the earthquake was equivalent to 23,000 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs.
  • The highest waves are thought to have reached 65-100 feet in height.

Why are Indian Ocean tsunamis rare?

Tsunamis are rare in the Indian Ocean as the seismic activity is less as compared to the Pacific. The tsunami that ravaged the south and south east Asian coasts in December 2004, is the most devastating tsunami in the last several hundred years.

How long did the Indian Ocean tsunami last?

seven hours
How long did the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 last? The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 lasted for seven hours and reached out across the Indian Ocean, devastating coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, and Thailand, and as far away as East Africa.

Why is tsunami called as Harbour waves?

The reason for the Japanese name “harbour wave” is that sometimes a village’s fishermen would sail out, and encounter no unusual waves while out at sea fishing, and come back to land to find their village devastated by a huge wave.

How fast was the Indian Ocean tsunami?

500 mph
The tsunami’s waves traveled across the Indian Ocean at 500 mph, the speed of a jet plane.

How much did the Indian Ocean 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.

Why was the Indian Ocean tsunami so devastating?

The displacement of water above the sea floor triggered the tsunami, which caused catastrophic levels of destruction in countries around the Indian Ocean basin, reaching as far as the east coast of Africa.

What caused the Indian Ocean tsunami?

On December 26, 2004 the Indian Ocean erupted into one of the biggest tsunamis in Earth’s recorded history. The tsunami was caused by a massive 9.0 earthquake that was located near the coast of Sumatra. The extreme movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates displaced water in the Indian Ocean.

What were the effects of the Indian Ocean tsunami?

Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. The lack of food, clean water, and medical treatment—combined with the enormous task faced by relief workers trying to get supplies into some remote areas where roads had been destroyed or where civil war raged—extended the list of casualties. Long-term environmental damage was severe as well, with villages,…

What are facts about the Indian Ocean?

The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean in the world after the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It covers approximately 14% of the Earth’s surface and about 20% of the water on the Earth’s surface. It is also the warmest ocean in the world.

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