Geophysical Changes From Indonesian Earthquake

Scientific American examines the long-term geophysical changes caused by the earthquake that spawned the deadly Indonesian tsunami.

1 minute read

March 4, 2005, 11:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen

"The magnitude 9.0 earthquake was the largest ever recorded in the region and the world's biggest since a 1964 Alaskan quake.

...The earthquake and its aftershocks changed the shape and orientation of virtually the entire Burma plate and the lands it supports--in particular, the Andaman and Nicobar islands. The two island groups are the peaks of an undersea mountain range, raised by the scraping up of soft sediments as the plate's leading edge pressed down and forward against the India plate. After the earthquake, some of the Nicobar Islands seem to have sunk, and one island, Trinkat, has split into three pieces, with fish now swimming around once idyllic, palm-fringed villages.

...Sooner or later Banda Aceh will subside" and disappear into the ocean, he concludes of the Sumatran city."

Thanks to Laura Kranz

FULL STORY: The Scarred Earth

Monday, February 21, 2005 in Scientific American

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