Magnitude 9.0 Earthquake - OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA

USGS Earthquake Hazards ^ | 2004 December 26 00:58:55 UTC

[bd476]

Magnitude 8.1 - OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
2004 December 26 00:58:55 UTC

Preliminary Earthquake Report
West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center/NOAA/NWS

A great earthquake occurred at 00:58:55 (UTC) on Sunday, December 26, 2004. The magnitude 8.1 event has been located OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA. (This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.)

Magnitude	8.1
Date-Time	Sunday, December 26, 2004 at 00:58:55 (UTC) = Coordinated Universal Time Sunday, December 26, 2004 at 6:58:55 AM = local time at epicenter
Location	3.400°N, 95.700°E
Depth	40 km (24.9 miles) set by location program
Region	OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
Distances	235 km (145 miles) S of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia 330 km (205 miles) W of Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia 1620 km (1000 miles) NW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia 3405 km (2120 miles) SE of NEW DELHI, Delhi, India
Location Uncertainty	Error estimate not available
Parameters	Nst=020, Nph=020, Dmin=>999 km, Rmss=0.98 sec, Gp=101°, M-type=moment magnitude (Mw), Version=1
Source	West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center/NOAA/NWS
Event ID	at00000264

Location Maps: 10-degree NEIC Maps Did you feel it? Report shaking and damage at your location. You can also view a map displaying accumulated data from your report and others. Historical Moment Tensor Solutions Seismic Hazard Map Historical Seismicity Theoretical P-Wave Travel Times Magnitude 7 and Greater Earthquakes This Year TsunamiBulletin Archive of newsworthy events

[nhoward14]

It sure is taking USGS a long time to post updates. They haven't posted any new quakes/aftershocks for a couple hours it seems.

[Strategerist]

If you look at a map of Thailand, you'll see something called the "Isthmus of Kra" hanging down from Thailand.

Phuket is on the west side of that on the coast of the Indian Ocean.

Malyasia doesn't start till further down the Isthmus.

[Central Scrutiniser]

Here is a good map of Phuket, all the beaches on the left got hit. The picture I posted earlier was just off of Kata Noi, looking north.

[null and void]

Tell you the truth, I'm a little confused about Thailand. Didn't I read further up the thread they got hit?

Yes, but the other 'quake has only a small island between it and Thailand.

[nhoward14]

Eyewitness: Sri Lanka tsunami
By Roland Buerk
BBC News, Sri Lanka

I'm in a town called Unawatuna, which is on the south coast of Sri Lanka.

It was about 1000 this morning our time and we were still in bed when we suddenly heard some shouts from outside.

We were swept along for a few hundred metres, trying to dodge the motorcycles and the refrigerators and the cars that were coming with us
Then the water started coming under the door. Within a few seconds it was touching the window.

We scrambled out of the room - quickly the water was up to chest height.

We made our way out of the hotel, through the incredible rushing water.

First of all we climbed up into a tree for a couple of minutes but then that began to fall down because of the water.

We were swept along for a few hundred metres, trying to dodge the motorcycles and the refrigerators and the cars that were coming with us.

Finally, about 300m inshore, we managed to get hold of a pillar, which we held onto, and then the waters just gradually began to subside.

Little help

This has caused incredible devastation here. There are cars in trees, buildings destroyed.

It is impossible really to get an accurate picture of the number of casualties from where I am.

A call went round for a doctor... but there are no doctors here
But in one small area of one small village I have seen three bodies so far: two Sri Lankans - an elderly lady and a young woman - and a Western boy who looked to be about five years old.

There is no kind of emergency services here, there are no helicopters thumping through the sky to come to save people. It is a do-it-yourself rescue.

People are trying to go through the building and trying to rescue people who might be trapped.

Most people have gone up onto higher ground, fearful of another tidal wave - rumours are that another one might be coming and people are trying to get up onto the hills.

There are no real medical services here either at the moment.

A call went round about 15 minutes ago for a doctor because a man's pulse was getting weaker and weaker but there are no doctors here.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/4125581.stm

[ForGod'sSake]

Look at this and you will understand what is happening and what has happened.

So, it appears what's happened is lots of aftershocks; many of which occurred in Malaysia??? Large enough to create their own tsunamis?

FGS

[Central Scrutiniser]

Here is a good map, showing location of C&N and the Expat, has to be at least a 500-700 meters up that got flooded.

And that is just Patong.

[Cheetah1]

So was Bangladesh hit or not? There is much confusion on that?

[nhoward14]

Hit by what? Quake or tsunami?

[ForGod'sSake]

If you look at a map of Thailand, you'll see something called the "Isthmus of Kra"...

Ok, so I need to bone up on my geography a little ;^)

FGS

[Quix]

I don't know of anyone who prays for disaster.

CERTAINLY NOT me.

I have prayed that IF GOD SEES FIT TO ALLOW A DISASTER, THAT HE WILL MAKE HIS WILL KNOWN IN THE MIDST OF IT. THAT HE WILL AFFIRM THOSE OF ANY NATION, CREED, WHATEVER

WHO TRULY SEEK TO KNOW GOD IN THEIR HEARTS AND ENABLE THEM TO DISCERN HIS WILL, PRIORITIES, WAY.

AND, THAT ****IF**** THERE ARE THOSE IN THE DISASTER AREA

WHO GOD KNOWS

to be TRULY BEYOND HOPE

****AND****

WHO ARE SOOOOOOOOOOOO DEVOTED TO EVIL THAT THEIR HOSTILITY TO GOD AND GOD'S PRIORITIES PERSISTENTLY RESULTS IN HORRID EVIL

****AND**** WHO GOD KNOWS TO BE TERMINALLY DEVOTED TO EVIL WITH NO CHANCE OF SALVATION

--THAT, ACCORDING AND CONDITIONAL ON GOD'S WILL IN EACH CASE, HE WOULD REMOVE THEM FROM THIS LIFE THAT THEY NOT CAUSE OTHERS MORE evil as well as rack up greater punishment to themselves eternally.

I haven't frequently prayed that way but I have several times and probably will again.

Sometimes as part of that prayer, I've asked God to affirm those authentic Christian churches while removing the worst deceptive idolotrous structures leading people away from Him--where at all possible and according to His will--sparing individual lives in the process.

[edmond246]

Thanks for the updates, off to bed. Merry and Ironic Christmas to you all!

[Strategerist]

Bangladesh may have been hit by the tsunami by the original large 8.5 quake, but I think the reports of a separate 7.2 magnitude quake in Bangladesh are bogus; a screwup by the Bangladeshi seismic office.

[expatguy]

I have no idea what is large enough to crate a tsunami. ForGod'sSake, What kind of question is that?

I dont know how many aftershocks there are, but there seems to be a lot - all i know is that for about 15-20 minutes water moves in a glass on my desk.

I didn't feel the big one earlier - but my friend who lives in a highrise about 20 minutes from me did.

[Squantos]

Wow this is a bad one...FNC reporting lots of folks swept out to sea that were just layin on the beach. BTTT.....

[Central Scrutiniser]

Dude, chill out, posting in capps is the sign of a madman.

I assure you, the victims in Phuket were most likely Brit, German, Aussie, American and Kiwi. And Phuket is 90% Buddhist, so any nut praying for God to play Jerry Bruckheimer on "heathens" didn't get their wish this time.

shrug...

[Central Scrutiniser]

I've spent many hours on those beaches, diving the waters and enjoying the nightlife, I can't imagine the devastation in Phuket.

[ForGod'sSake]

I have no idea what is large enough to crate a tsunami.

Not to worry. The confusion was on my part. I had forgotten my geography. I think the place was called Siam when I was in school ;^)

FGS

[fatima]

Prayers with you friend and we are with you.

[Quix]

It appears that you are quite reasonable and logical and even somewhat scientific

WHEN the data and your construction on them support your biases.

But, you appear to be quite sloppy and 'kludgey' when indulging in your personal attacks and hostility to constructions on reality at odds with your biases.

No, I was not kidding.

I have read convincing analyses that arrived at some considerable lists of statistically significant differences in some sorts of natural disasters and regions/nations--some such and their over all morality. I don't even remember what year I read such. I can't remember what keywords would be most likely to find such studies. But they were quite rational and used publically available statistics from the governments involved.

Your hodgepodge of examples illustrate nothing, to me.