Indonesia - Sumatra - Acheh's Tsunami

Significant catastrophic event of Acheh's tsunami in 2004.

Sent by Regina from Medan in Sumatra, Indonesia.

On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7), a M_w 9.2–9.3 earthquake struck with an epicenter off the west coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The undersea megathrust earthquake, known in the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, was caused by a rupture along the fault between the Burma plate and the Indian plate, and reached a Mercalli intensity of IX in some areas.

The earthquake caused a massive tsunami with waves up to 30 m (100 ft) high, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami after the Boxing Day holiday, or as the Asian Tsunami, which devastated communities along the surrounding coasts of the Indian Ocean, killing an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries, especially in Aceh (Indonesia), Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu (India), and Khao Lak (Thailand). The direct result was severe disruption to living conditions and commerce in coastal provinces of these and other surrounding countries. It is the deadliest tsunami in history, the deadliest natural disaster of the 21st century, and one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. It is also the worst natural disaster in the history of Indonesia, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The earthquake itself is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Asia, the most powerful earthquake of the 21st century, and the second or third most powerful earthquake ever recorded worldwide since modern seismography began in 1900. It had the longest fault rupture ever observed, between 1,200 and 1,300 kilometres (746 and 808 mi), and had the longest duration of faulting ever observed, at least ten minutes. It caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as 10 mm (0.4 in), and also remotely triggered earthquakes as far away as Alaska. Its epicentre was between Simeulue and mainland Sumatra. The plight of the affected people and countries prompted a worldwide humanitarian response, with donations totalling more than US$14 billion (equivalent to US$23 billion in 2024 currency) (read more).