2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami - Essay Example

2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami Introduction In 2004, global fraternity witnessed catastrophic destruction of the nature when Indian Ocean earthquake resulted in Tsunami. It was an undersea gigantic thrust which took place at 00:58:53 UTC. It was a black day for the countries like Thailand, Maldives, Somalia, Sri Lanka and India. Magnitude of the earthquake was 9.1–9.3 Mw. This was an unprecedented natural calamity that took away more than 280,000 lives. When rest of the world was celebrating Boxing Day then this gigantic mega thrust changed the geographic maps of the almost 14 countries. As the epicentre of this earthquake was near the Sumatra of Indonesia so this earthquake is also known as Sumatra–Andaman earthquake. This essay will analyze the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami in detail. It was a day when global people became helpless in front of the nature’s whims and fancies. Discussion Over the years the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and the Tsunami has been named in different ways. Due to the Tsunami South Asian countries were deeply affected and that is why it is also known as South Asian tsunami. It is very important to know the reasons behind this mammoth natural calamity (O'Brien, 2009, pp. 78-79). The earthquake and the Tsunami took place because two Tectonic Plates sub ducted with each other. In more precise way, India Plate sub ducted with Burma Plate. This subduction caused a cascading effect of destructive Tsunami. Those Tsunamis shattered the countries bordering with the Indian Ocean. Lives of the coastal communities were significantly hampered by the gigantic tides. Tides were as high as 30mtrs and inundated different coastal belts of several South Asian countries. Indonesia was the worst hit country because epicentre was nearby the Sumatra only. Epicentre was 3.316°N 95.854°ECoordinates. According to the seismographic readings, it was the 3rd largest earthquake. The severity of the earthquake was backed up by the duration of its tremor (Lüsted, 2010, pp. 67-69). The quake continued for almost 10 minutes. The hypocenter of the quake was located almost 160 KM far from the western part of the Sumatra. The magnitude of the earthquake was so severe that the tremor was felt simultaneously in different countries like India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Singapore and Thailand. According to the findings of different researches, collision of Tectonic Plates removed enormous amount of water and created significantly powerful shock waves in the various direction which caused this catastrophic disaster. Different research agencies have argued that in the last 100 years Tectonic Plates of this region have collided with each other and created lots of earthquakes but the incident of 2004 was something very different from others (Strand & Masek, 2008, pp. 101-102). Because of the place changing of different Tectonic Plates created a huge rapture which was almost 600 miles long. The rupture was created deep down under the water it was created almost 50 km below the sea surface. Seafloor was displaced horizontally by almost 10 yards and it was displaced vertically also. Almost trillion tons of rocks along the ruptured area came out and caused the earthquake which was shocker for the world (Lace, 2008, pp. 55-58). After some time of the earthquake deadly waves were created from the epicentre of the quake zone and slammed the coast lines of 14 countries. The ruptured area was so long that it was even larger than the area like California. Tsunami caused series of killer waves slamming the coastal areas of several countries mercilessly without any stoppages. In that day Indian Ocean was advancing and retreating repeatedly. In between the earthquake and the Tsunami there was significant time gap. But as there was no tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean. That is why so many lives and properties were destroyed. The Tsunami was so strong in nature that it travelled up to 3000 miles away to the Africa and caused significant hamper to human lives and the properties. According to the report of National Geographic Channel, more than 500,000 people were injured and damages of the property exceeded $10 billion. The total earthquake took place under water. According to survey of the U.S. Geological Survey, 2004 Indian Oceanic earthquake and the Tsunami created significant amount of energy and it was like 23,000 similar kinds of atomic bombs that exploded in Hiroshima. 1.1×1017 joules energy was released by the Indian Ocean Earthquake and the Tsunami on the earth’s surface. It was a sudden release of giant forces which were building up deep below the bed of the water for the last thousands of years. The sudden release of the energy shocked the ground violently and unleashed array of devastating killer waves across the Indian Ocean (California Institute of Technology, 2013). The speed of the waves was similar like the jet airliners. According to the research of USGS, for last 1000 years India Plate and Burma Plate were pushing each other. That pushing came to an end in the 26th December 2004 and created a big rupture under the Indian Ocean. Stored energy within the Tsunami travelled at a high speed and reached up to the shallow water near the big coast line. During that time bottom of the wave became slow but the top of the wave was moving significantly fast which made the sea to rise abnormally high. Interactive movements of the Tectonic Plate were the main reason of this earthquake and the Tsunami. More than 1.7 million people of the 14 countries were homeless due to this disaster. Figure 1: Tsunami 2004 Facts and Figures (Source: Tsunami, 2004) The above figure indicates how the different countries were affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and the Tsunami. This kind of Tsunami was not at all common with the Indian Ocean. Generally these kinds of incidents are common with Pacific Ocean. Some of the researchers have argued that Sumatra earthquake of 2002 was the fore shock of this gigantic earthquake and the Tsunami. According to the experts of USGS, the underwater mega thrust was not at all normal and it was something very unusual (Cummins, Kong & Satake, 2009, pp. 78-79). 1600 km rupture or surface slipped caused due to the overriding of Burma Plate above the India Plate. The overriding process was completed in two phases. In the first phase almost 400 km long rupture took place and then after the break of 100 seconds rest of the rupturing took place. Being part of the Indo-Australian Plate, India Plate drifts in an average of 6cm per year towards the north east. At the Sunda Trench area India Plate meets with Burma Plate. In this area Burma Plate over rides India Plate. Places like Andaman Island, Nicobar Island and Northern Sumatra have significant proximity with Sunda Trench. It caused significant destruction to those places during the time of the Earthquake and the Tsunami (University at Buffalo Libraries, 2012). The Tsunami took place in 26th December that is why this also known as the Boxing Day Tsunami. According to the statement of Tsunami society, energy of the Tsunami waves was almost equivalent to the 5 megatons TNT. In that day, there was no advance Tsunami warnings. Generally Tsunami warnings are very complex thing because in the deep water heights of the waves remain low and when it comes to shallow water near the coast certainly it gains height. The same thing happened during the 2004 Tsunami (Jha, 2010, pp. 150-152). Although after sometime of the earthquake killer waves came but due to the deceptive nature of the Tsunami wave’s people were totally shell shock. Due to the sudden nature of the phenomenon so much destruction took place. Death struck the people suddenly. This natural calamity has changed the geographical boundaries of some countries like Sri Lanka and India. The earthquake was originated in the northern part of the Simeulue Island. Banda Ache an island in Sumatra was significantly devastated with this earthquake in 2004. The tremor of the earthquake was so strong that it was even felt from a distant place like Alaska also. Conclusion All the above facts and figures are articulating that in 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and Tsunami made havoc in the coastal belts of 14 South Asian countries. Different data and facts are indicating that it was one of the most destructive natural calamities that the world has ever seen. The main reason of this disaster was the interactive movements of the different Tectonic Plates. This natural phenomenon took place under the water. Major thrusts took place deep under the water level. During this destruction lots of suppressed energies were released. Tsunami waves gained abnormal heights due to the massive intensity and duration of the earthquake. There were no advance warning systems regarding Tsunami which made the situation even worse. Huge numbers of people lost their lives and lots of properties were damaged by the gigantic killer waves of the Tsunami. Countries like Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India were severely affected by the Indian Ocean earthquake and Tsunami. References California Institute of Technology., (2013). What happened during the 2004 Sumatra earthquake. Retrieved From: http://www.tectonics.caltech.edu/outreach/highlights/sumatra/what.html. Cummins, P. R., Kong, L. & Satake, K., (2009). Tsunami science four years after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami: Part II: observation and data analysis. Melbourn: Springer Science & Business Media. Jha, M. K., (2010). Natural and anthropogenic disasters: vulnerability, preparedness and mitigation. New York: Springer Science & Business Media. Lace, W. W., (2008). The Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004. New York: Infobase Publishing. Lüsted, M. A., (2010). 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. New York: ABDO. O'Brien, P., (2009). Earthquakes and Tsunamis. New York: Lorenz Educational Press. Strand, C. L. & Masek, J. P., (2008). Sumatra-Andaman Islands earthquake and Tsunami of December 26, 2004: lifeline performance. Virginia: ASCE Publications. Tsunami 2004., (2004). Tsunami 2004 facts and figures. Retrieved From: http://www.tsunami2004.net/tsunami-2004-facts/. University at Buffalo Libraries., (2012). Indian Ocean Tsunami disaster. Retrieved From: http://libweb.lib.buffalo.edu/guide/guide.asp?ID=169. Read More