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Earthquake & tsunami of December 26, 2004

Title: Waveforms from the Global Seismographic Network of the Sumatra-Andaman Islands Earthquake Contributed by: Rick Aster, Geophysics Program, New Mexico Tech Text: The magnitude 9.0 earthquake near Sumatra on December 26, 2004 was one of the most significant seismic events on Earth during the past 100 years

Aceh Province, Sumatra, Indonesia

Close up of Aceh Province, Sumatra, Indonesia (before and after Dec. 26, 2004)

Here are the pictures, in chronological order, before people realized how serious the situation was. where is the ocean going? wow, look at all this beach!

first wave

second wave

a larger third wave breaking on the horizon?

GIANT EARTHQUAKES 1960 - Chile, 9.5 magnitude 1964 - Alaska, 9.2 1952 - Russia, 9.0 2004 - Indonesia, 9.0 Megathrust earthquakes, like the Sumatra quake, often generate large tsunamis that cause damage over a much wider area than is directly affected by ground shaking near the earthquake's rupture.

Globally, the number of people living within 100 km of the coast increased from roughly 2 billion in 1990 to 2.2 billion in 1995—39 percent of the world's population. (2004 World Resources Institute )

Can it happen here?

Earthquakes Where do they occur? Can they happen anywhere? What causes them? How can we protect ourselves?