The affected countries were Thailand, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh. The tremors were also significantly felt in Malaysia and Singapore.
20 years ago, an earthquake with a force of nine magnitudes created a destructive tsunami wave in the Indian Ocean, which devastated the coasts of Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. The natural disaster claimed more than 280,000 human lives. The world will remember this tragedy on Thursday.
Tragedy happened on December 26, 2004, when a strong earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered a huge tsunami.
Shift of tectonic plates
The earthquake, the result of mutual displacement of tectonic plates, occurred at 07:59 local time (01:59 CET). The earthquakes with an epicenter near the Indonesian Sumatra had an intensity of up to 9.15 degrees on the open Richter scale. The affected countries were Thailand, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bangladesh. The tremors were also significantly felt in Malaysia and Singapore.
Tsunamis are caused mainly by underwater earthquakes and volcanic activity. They roll through the ocean at a speed of 700 km/ha when they hit the coast, engulfing entire cities and leaving behind a huge devastation. When the wave approaches the coast, the speed of its front decreases, but the rest of it rolls at the same speed and reaches great heights – even up to 50 meters. The speed of the tsunami is variable in contact with the coast, often reaching up to 300 km/h.
Such waves are most often found in the Pacific and Indian oceans. The first mentions of them can already be found in ancient Greece and Rome, while one of the first destructive tidal waves was recorded on July 21, 365 AD in the eastern Mediterranean. Hundreds of residents of the Egyptian city of Alexandria lost their lives then.
Humanity does not yet know how to protect itself from tsunami waves, like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and falling meteorites. We can just escape the tsunami.
