It began at 7:59am local time on December 26, 2004, when a 9.1-magnitude quake struck off the northern tip of Sumatra in Indonesia.

Scientists say the earthquake was the third-biggest ever recorded, lasting up to 10 minutes and causing the Earth to vibrate up to one centimetre.

It also displaced an estimated 30 cubic kilometres of water, unleashing a massive tsunami across the Indian Ocean.

Within 15 minutes of the earthquake, waves began striking the coasts of northern Sumatra and the Nicobar islands.

Waves of up to 30 metres were recorded as the tsunami swept through Aceh, the hardest hit region of Indonesia.

Around two hours after the earthquake struck, waves reached Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.

An hour later they reached the Maldives, and- more than seven hours after the initial quake, the tsunami was observed in Mauritius and along the east coast of Africa.

Indonesia was the nation hardest hit by the tsunami, with at least 168,000 people killed when walls of water smashed into Nias Island and Aceh province, which sits on the northern end of Sumatra.

In Sri Lanka 35,000 people were killed, while 18,000 died in India and 8,000 died in Thailand.

Hundreds also died in Africa.

Thousands of foreign travellers were killed in the disaster, including 26 Australians, all but two of whom died in Thailand. 

Most of Beachport and Robe were destroyed, and Kingston and Mount Gambier also suffered damage. The Earth heaved in waves and ruptured to a depth of 4m. In Adelaide, crowds panicked and suffered injuries as they rushed to the exits of swaying buildings.

On the 26th of December 2004, what is believed to be the deadliest tsunami in history occurred. The Boxing Day tsunami  resulted in loss of life for more than 230,000 people, and these disastrous effects were felt across 14 countries:  India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, Burma (Myanmar), Somalia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, South Africa, Madagascar, Kenya, Tanzania and the Seychelles. 

The 9.1 magnitude quake impacted on many families, as the final death toll is unknown and many do not know to this day if their loved ones are alive or deceased. Apart from this, there was the environmental impacts. When several buildings were destroyed, harmful chemicals and oil were released into the environment, damaging the landscape and killing wildlife. There was also severe erosion,  fallen trees and natural debris. 
All in all, this was a horrific event that will remain forever in history as one of the worst tsunamis ever seen. 

The largest tsunami impacts have been recorded along the northwest coast of Western Australia:

Sebastian.louis

Nias is a popular surf travel destination and an interesting change to the environment is that the reefs have moved and that has made some of the popular surf locations disappear and some new breaks have formed in areas that didn’t have surf able waves before.

 

 

Deaths .15,897 

Date. 11 march 2011 

Time . 2:46 pm 

 

A magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Tōhoku region of Japan’s Honshu island on March 11, 2011. The Great East Japan Earthquake — the name given to the event by the Japanese government — triggered a massive tsunami that flooded more than 200 square miles of coastal land. Waves were estimated to be as high as 38 meters, the height of a 12-story building.

An estimated 20,000 people were dead or missing and close to 500,000 people were forced to evacuate. In addition, a nuclear power plant meltdown triggered a nuclear emergency. The direct economic loss from the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster is estimated at $360 billion.

Though Japan is a world leader in disaster preparedness, the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake caused overwhelming damage and humanitarian needs that required an international response.

Where: Chile

When: May 22, 1960

Casualties: 3,000 injured, 1, 655 killed

 

With a magnitude of 9.5 the Valdivia earthquake was the most powerful earthquake recorded in history, the rupture zone stretched from 500 km to almost 1,000 km along the country coast. The event was named after the city most affected by the quake, Valdivia.

The Valdivia earthquake left 2 million unlucky people homeless, and the economic damage costed $550 million. The quake also caused a tsunami that raced across the pacific, the waves reached all the way to New Zealand, Japan and the Philippines, wrecking coastal communities.

Where: East Russia

Casualties: 10,000 – 15,000 dead

The Kamchatka tsunami was generated by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, the waves got as high as 50 feet caused extensive damage to the Kamchatka peninsula and the Kuril islands, and left an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 dead. Waves travelled as far as Peru, Chili and New Zealand, but the largest damage to other areas of the pacific ocean occurred in the Hawaiian islands. The Hawaiian islands suffered the greatest damage out of the local area, damage was estimated at $17 million.

Chronologically, it was the third known large scale earthquake to hit the city. Estimates place the death toll in Lisbon at between 12 000 - 50 000 making it one of the deadliest earthquakes in history.

The earthquake accentuated political tensions in Portugal and profoundly disrupted the country's colonial ambitions.

The event was widely discussed and dwelt upon by European Enlightenment philosophers, and inspired major developments in theodicy. As the first earthquake studied scientifically for its effects over a large area, it led to the birth of modern seismology and earthquake engineering

At 3:44 am local time an earthquake hit 500 kilometers from Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. It was a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that killed 160 people and injured 500 people.

An aftershock of 6.0 killed 11 people on the 4th of March, another of 6.7 on the 7th of March killed at least 25 more and an aftershock of 6.3 killed another 4 people on the 7th of April, a month after the earthquake hit the area.

There were more than 270 aftershocks reported by USGS in total, 68 of which were above magnitude 5, and 6 of which were above magnitude 6. Aftershocks caused panic in Jayapura as 12 buildings were damaged.

As a result concrete roads were destroyed and bridges snapped, power and communication went out, thousands of houses were destroyed and Komo’s airport runway was affected.

Danica

The largest waves were reported at northern Simbo Island with a maximum tsunami run-up of 12 meters. South Choiseul had waves 10 meters high swiping away villages, gardens and a hospital and around 900 home were destroyed.

The tsunami reached Papua New Guinea and a family of five was reported missing from an island in the Milne Bay Province.

An outbreak of diarrhea from the survivors was reported from aid workers but by the 12th of April the UN reported that the outbreak and any other diseases were under control. On the 18^th of April a measles outbreak was reported and an immunization program was going into the works. 

Danica