On December 26, 2004, an earthquake shook the sea off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia.
When the sea floor rose up, it moved many tons of water. A tsunami slammed coasts all around the Indian Ocean. It was one of the deadliest disasters ever. Over 225,000 people died in 11 countries. Whole towns were washed out by waves 100 feet high. The earthquake had a magnitude of between 9.1 and 9.3. That made it the second largest on record! How much energy hit the Earth’s surface? Over 1,500 times that of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. The quake also lasted longer than any quake ever recorded. It went on for between eight and ten minutes! It was so strong, it caused other quakes. Some struck as far away as Alaska.
