Boxing Day Tsunami

Where?

Off coast of Indonesia

Epicentre is 256km off Banda Aceh

Plate tectonic

Indo- Australian plate subducting under Eurasian plate

triple junction with Phillipine plate and the Pacific plate

Causes

Magnitude 9 on ricter scale

26th december 2004

earthquake caused sea floor to uplift displacing seawater above creating a tsunami

tsunami travelled at 800kmph

hot climate means disease and lack of sanitisation

focus depth of 30km below sea level

destructive plate boundary

effects (social)

1/4 million people died

two million people were made homeless

Beach resorts like Phi Phi decimated

People were swept away in the waters which arrived rapidly with little warning

Death toll 170,000 in Indonesia

Coastal populations taken at surprise due to lack of warning systems

1.7 million people displaced

Effects (economic)

66% fishing fleet loss

loss of tourism

many communities are affected were dependant on fishing industries

Islands are reliant on tourism and fishing such as the Maldives have to rebuild there industries

Effects (environemental)

Mangrove swamps held to act as a barrier to reduce the energy of the water in some areas

more ecosystems polluted by human and chemical waste

arable land covered in a layer of salt

short term management

us provided search and rescue

$14 billion dollars in aid

short term aid such as water purification tablets and temporary housing given to international countries

Longer term managament

Earlier warning system

Drills in place in the event

troops moved to help aid recovery

research into earthquakes and tsunamis