Indian Ocean Earthquake & Tsunami Sources
The earthquake that generated the great Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 is estimated to have released the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs.
— U.S. Geological Survey Web Site
The Indian Ocean tsunami generated by the most powerful earthquake in decades on December 26 is believed to have killed more than 150,000 people and made millions homeless, making it perhaps the most destructive tsunami in history.
- Tsunamis can extend inland by one thousand feet (300 meters) or more. The enormous force and weight of so much water sweeps away almost everything in its path.
- Many people reported that they saw animals fleeing for high ground minutes before the tsunami arrived. Very few animal bodies were found afterwards. Somehow the animals seemed to know that disaster was imminent.
- Tsunami waves can be very long (as much as 60 miles or 100 kilometers) and be as far as one hour apart. They are able to cross entire oceans without great loss of energy. The Indian Ocean tsunami traveled as much as 3,000 miles (nearly 5,000 kilometers) to Africa, arriving with sufficient force to kill people and destroy property.
—National Geographic News Web Site
The purpose of this guide is to direct users to authoritative sources of information on the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami, which occurred on December 26, 2004. To quickly access one of the following sections, please select a link below:
- One Year Later
- Geological Aspects
- Publications
- Images, Maps, & Animations
- Tsunami Warning & Information Centers
One Year Later
- BBC
- Tsunami Disaster
- CNN
- After the Tsunami
- International Tsunami Information Center
- ITIC Web site
- National Geographic
- Tsunami in Southeast Asia
- University at Buffalo Libraries
- ASL Resource Guide to the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster
- Whitehouse.gov
- US Support for Earthquake & Tsunami Victims
Geological Aspects
- Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
- Sumatra–Andaman Islands Earthquake
- Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory
- Scientific Background on the Indian Ocean Earthquake & tsunami
- National Geophysical Data Center
- Indian Ocean Tsunami Events
- NOAA
- Tsunami Event – December 26, 2004
- USGS
- Earthquake & Tsunami Studies in the Indian Ocean
- FAQ: Everything Else You Want to Know About this Earthquake & Tsunami
Publications
- Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team (EEFIT)
- Preliminary Mission Report of Indian Ocean Tsunami of 26 December 2004
- EERI
- Special Report: Learning from Earthquakes
- ESRI
- GIS and Emergency Management in Indian Ocean Earthquake/Tsunami Disaster
- Journal of Disaster Recovery
- Special Issue on Indian Ocean Tsunami (scroll down)
- MCEER
- Reconnaissance Investigation
- NOAA
- Center for Tsunami Research
- National Science Foundation (NSF)
- After the Tsunami: A Special Report
- Risk Management Solutions
- Managing Tsunami Risk in the Aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami
- USGS
- Report: Tsunami Sand Deposits, Damage, and Inundation in Sri Lanka
Images, Maps, & Animations
- BBC News
- Asia Earthquake Explained
- CBC News
- Disaster in Asia Interactive Map
- Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing, National University of Singapore
- Satellite Images of Affected Areas
- Global Security
- Asian Tsunami Imagery
- Guardian Unlimited
- Indian Ocean Tsunami Country Guide
- Intute
- December 2004 Tsunami
- NASA – Earthquake Spawns Tsunamis
- Image 1
- Image 2
- NOAA – Animation of Indonesia Tsunami
- Animation 1
- Animation 2
- NOAA
- Scientists Measure Tsunami Height from Space
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Japan
- Tsunami Animation
- New York Times
- Asia's Deadly Waves
- USA Today
- Asian Tsunami Map
- University of Texas Libraries
- Indian Ocean Maps
- Washington Post
- Tsunami in Asia
Tsunami Warning & Information Centers
- International Tsunami Information Center
- ITIC
- National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program Steering Group
- Steering Group
- NOAA
- Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
- West Coast & Alaska Tsunami Warning Center