GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -On Sunday morning 26 December 2004 at 00:58:53 UTC, a massive earthquake measuring 9.1 on the Richter scale struck off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The epicentre was 30 kilometres under the seabed and approximately 250 kilometres south to south-west of Banda Aceh.

Detailed explanation-2: -Most of the earthquake deaths in 2004 were caused by the magnitude 9.1–9.3 earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra in December. Most of the deaths were caused by a devastating tsunami that spread across the Indian Ocean.

Detailed explanation-3: -The December 26, 2004 magnitude (M) 9.1 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake occurred along a tectonic subduction zone in which the India Plate, an oceanic plate, is being subducted beneath the Burma micro-plate, part of the larger Sunda plate.

Detailed explanation-4: -Abstract. A great earthquake occurred at 00:58:49 (UTC) on Sunday, December 26, 2004 off the northwest coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Its revised moment magnitude was M 9.3 making it in the top four largest earthquakes in the world since 1900 and the largest since the Alaskan 1964 event.

Detailed explanation-5: -The Boxing Day tsunami in 2004 is believed to be the deadliest tsunami in history, killing more than 230, 000 people across 14 countries. 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. Updated 24 Dec 2014.