Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004

Causes
1. Oceanic Indo-Australian plate slid under the continental Eurasian plate
  1. Pressure built up at subduction zone
    1. Caused an earthquake when released
      1. 9.3 on the Richterscale
      2. Caused tsunami near Banda Aceh
      3. Caused four tsunamis
        Killed 275,000
      4. Eurasian plate rose 15 metres
Effects
1. Long Term
  1. Water changed coastal shape
    1. Coastal settlements were destroyed, over 1,000,000 people were left homeless
      1. Ocean polluted with dead bodies, debris and waste
        Tourist numbers decreased
  2. Diseases such as Cholera and Typhoid spread quickly due to lack of drinking water
2. Short Term
  1. Land shook for ten minutes
    1. Damage to buildings
      1. Homes washed away; caused homeless people
  2. Waves 30 metres high
    1. Went 2km inland
      1. 275,000 people killed, one third being children
      2. Train crash in Sri Lanka caused 1700 deaths
  3. Earth's surface moved up 1cm
Response
1. Seismometers were placed in the ocean floor, warning countries on the Indian Ocean
  1. Hotels on the Indian Ocean coast must place bedrooms on higher floors and the car park on the ground floor
    1. Tsunami evacuation drills occur regularly, making residents and tourists move to higher ground in the event of a tsunami

Resource summary

	Created by Liam Liamson about 10 years ago