The Retreat

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on 26 December, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Sumatra and a magnitude of 9.1–9.3 Mw, reaching a Mercalli intensity up to IX in certain areas. It was an undersea megathrust earthquake caused by a rupture along the fault between the Burma Plate and the Indian Plate. A series of large tsunamis up to 30 metres high were created by the earthquake that became known collectively as the Boxing Day tsunamis. These tsunamis flooded communities along the coasts of the Indian Ocean and killed an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries; the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh reported the largest number of victims. The earthquake was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history and the deadliest of the 21st century. Indonesia was the hardest-hit country, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand. The earthquake was the third largest ever recorded and had the longest duration of faulting ever observed; between eight and ten minutes. It caused the planet to vibrate as much as 1 centimetre , and it remotely triggered earthquakes as far away as Alaska. Its epicentre was between Simeulue and mainland Sumatra. The plight of the affected people and countries prompted a worldwide humanitarian response, donating more than US$14 billion. The event is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake.
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