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

[Quix]

You could easily be right that it's not a particularly focused message from God.

You might be wrong.

A big quake is not all that easy to focus, regardless of over all goal, I'd suspect.

And, I don't begin to know what priority God would give angelic forces affording exceptional protection during a huge, broad quake. Sometimes He seems to bother about that a lot and sometimes not.

[Strategerist]

The USGS just updated it's description of the quake:

Today's shallow, thrust-type earthquake occurred off the west coast of northern Sumatra at the interface between the India and Burma plates. In this region, the Burma plate is characterized by significant strain partitioning due to oblique convergence of the India and Australia plates to the west and the Sunda and Eurasian plates to the east. Off the west coast of northern Sumatra, the India plate is moving in a northeastward direction at about 5 cm per year relative to the Burma plate. Preliminary locations of larger aftershocks following today's earthquake show that approximately 1000 km of the plate boundary slipped as a result of the earthquake. Aftershocks are distributed along much of the shallow plate boundary between northern Sumatra (approximately 3 degrees north) to near Andaman Island (at about 14 degrees north).

I'm a bit confused over the "Burma Plate;" I think most sources call it the Andaman Plate.

[Strategerist]

Displacement is simply a $5 fancy word for "movement."

The seafloor being displaced simply means it moved. In the case of a tsunami, either up or down, sometimes a considerable distance.

[Quix]

There will come a time when you will remember those words you posted extremely keenly, excruciatingly--as though they were emblazoned into your eyes, mind and heart very regretfully.

I would prefer that you alter your perspective before that day and possibly prevent it. But I have 0.00% confidence that you will.

[hedgetrimmer]

Japan has a type of civil defense system just for tsunami watching. They have also built a system of sea walls to help slow waves if tsunamis occur.

The photos I posted merely touch on the damage and chaos.

Praying for the victims and their families.

[Quix]

What a sharp and alert mom! YEA!

[First_Salute]

Aftershocks --- all major, still happening.

[Strategerist]

Washington State down to Northern California has marked tsunami evac routes and practice evacuations of schools and such. Hawaii and Alaska of course have a system.

However there's some evidence that there's a local tsunami danger in Southern California......but not much has been done to set up any warning system there.

[Quix]

How high above sea level is your house. I think I asked before but I've forgotten. Sorry.

[Strategerist]

Basically what the USGS article stated is that the fault moved along a distance of 621 miles; that is, a stretch of seafloor moved relative to the seafloor next to it, upwards, along a length of 621 miles....how far up I don't know, probably on the order of 20+ feet.

Stop and think about how much water a 621 mile long stretch of ocean floor moving upwards 20+ feet would "displace" or move. That's how you get the tsunami energy.

[Quix]

Thanks much.

Greatly relieved to see your posting again.

[Quix]

1,000 km along the boundary . . . WOW.

Thanks much for the updated info.

[Central Scrutiniser]

I think about the rickety backpacker places on the beach road like Casurina and the places off Bangala, not too well built.

Ao Nang beach in Krabi got hit pretty bad, lots of people swept out to sea. There was a report of a scuba boat that had its divers up on board between dives when it hit, had hte divers been underwater they would have been swept into the open sea.

[hedgetrimmer]

We have had tsunami alerts in the Monterey Bay after some earthquakes, but nothing ever came of them.

Supposedly we have a National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program. Here is a link to a study from 1998, I am not sure of the current state of the project.

http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tsunami/dart_report1998.html

[Strategerist]

The program still exists. Warning buoys have been deployed south of Alaska....saw a Sci Channel documentary where they were deploying them.

[expatguy]

My friend told me a few of the places are offering free beer and drinks and such in an attempt to keep people placated. The police trying to keep all the tourists in one area and they have threaten to shoot people already. One guy keeps wanting to find his girlfriend, but the area is off limits.

Doctors at clinics were turning away tourist unless they had 1000 baht. The tourist police came into the clinic and pointed a gun at the doctor and told him to treat people for free AND he has to stay open all night.

Don't ever play games with Thai police - I tell you that.

[Quix]

I LOVE the Thai people. Wonderfully kind and peacable except in a few key issue sorts of situation. Then, step back, compromise humbly and quickly or get punished decisively, typically, imho.

Certainly prefer Chiang Mai to the more crowded regions.

[auggy]

"ABSOLUTELY! THANKS SO ENORMOUSLY."

You're very welcome. Uh, thanks for what?

Only thing I did was to translate what your prayer was to a couple of guys. They seemed to think....well, you know what conclusion they had.

[oceanperch]

Three miles from the Ocean Bar on the Yaquina Bay my Home is on a hill 20ft. above the bay.

Our plan is to get the son in is wheelchair and drive straight up our road which is very steep to the top of the street.

I have had dreams of the bay running just up to the deck of the house and I can see all kinds of freindly dolphins and I get my fishing poll out to catch alot of oceanperch and salmon. Wishful dreaming.

[auggy]

"THANKS TONS AND TONS AND TONS for understanding."

You're very, very welcome again. I knew exactly what your prayer was. It wasn't to harm anyone, only to open their eyes to the Christian God, Jesus Christ, and maybe save a few million souls.

It was a excellent prayer and I'm sure our Lord took it the same as we did.

I guess some have a hard time understanding religion.