Epicentre map from NOAA

USGS image depicting earthquake zones for the Sunda Trench - Damage zones for 1833 and 1861, then 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, and 28 March 2005 Sumatran earthquake.

The 2005 Sumatran earthquake occurred at 16:09:37 UTC (11:09:37 p.m. local time) on March 28, 2005. The hypocenter was located at 2° 04′ 35″ N 97° 00′ 58″ E, 30 km (18.6 miles) below the surface of the Indian Ocean, where subduction is forcing the Indo-Australian Plate to the south-west under the Eurasian plate Sunda edge. The area is 200 km west of Sibolga, Sumatra, or 1400 km northwest of Jakarta, roughly halfway between the islands of Nias and Simeulue. Seismic recordings give the earthquake a magnitude of about 8.7, and effects were felt as far away as Bangkok, Thailand, a distance of 1000 km [1]. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (591x738, 205 KB) March 28, 2005 8. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (591x738, 205 KB) March 28, 2005 8. ... The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce. ... Image File history File links USGS image depicting earthquake zones for the Sunda Trench - 1833, 1861, 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, and 28 March 2005 Sumatran earthquake. ... Image File history File links USGS image depicting earthquake zones for the Sunda Trench - 1833, 1861, 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, and 28 March 2005 Sumatran earthquake. ... The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. ... Categories: Geology stubs | Plate tectonics ... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami hits Thailand The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) on December 26, 2004. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in Leap years). ... UTC also stands for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Coordinated Universal Time or UTC, also sometimes referred to as Zulu time, the basis for civil time, differs by an integral number of seconds from atomic time and a fractional number of seconds from UT1. ... March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in Leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Hypocenter - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Subduction zones mark sites of convective downwelling of the Earths lithosphere. ... The Indo-Australian plate is shown in dull orange on this map. ... Categories: Plate tectonics | Geology stubs ... Sibolga is a port on the west coast of the province of North Sumatra, in Indonesia. ... Sumatra (also spelled Sumatara and Sumatera) is the sixth largest island of the world (approximately 470,000 km²) and is the largest part of Indonesia. ... Map of Indonesia showing Jakarta Jakarta (also Djakarta or DKI Jakarta, formerly known as Batavia) is the capital and the largest city of Indonesia, located on the northwest coast of the island of Java, at 6°11′ S 106°50′ E. It has an area of 650 km² and a... Pulau Nias off of Sumatra, Indonesia Nias (Bahasa Indonesia: Pulau Nias, Nias language: Tanö Niha) is an island off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. ... Sumatra; Simeulue is near the left edge in the upper half Outline of Simeulue, with the epicenter of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake indicated The island and County of Simeulue lies in the Indian Ocean 150 km off the west coast of the province of Aceh on the island of... Global earthquake epicenters, 1963–1998 An earthquake is a trembling or a shaking movement of the Earths surface. ... The moment magnitude scale (a successor to the Richter Scale), was introduced in 1979 by Tom Hanks and Hiroo Kanamori and is used by seismologists to compare the energy released by earthquakes. ... Bangkok from the Chao Phraya River at sunset, July 2004 Bangkok, (in Thai กรุงเทพฯ, กรุงเทพมหานคร, or Krung Thep, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, IPA: ), population 8,538,610 (1990), is the capital and largest city of Thailand. ...

Summary and impact

The quake, possibly a heavy aftershock from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, lasted for about two minutes in total, longer than most of the aftershocks felt to date. The recent quake was so large it has had its own aftershocks, with almost a dozen temblors measuring 5.7 or larger recorded in the region soon after the first one. At 8.7, this is the second largest earthquake in the world since 1964; only the December 26, 2004 earthquake was stronger. A debate has arisen among seismologists over whether this should be considered an aftershock or a "triggered earthquake" as it was larger than typical aftershocks and on a different fault. Aftershocks are earthquakes of smaller magnitude that follow a large quake. ... The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami hits Thailand The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, was an undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (07:58:53 local time) on December 26, 2004. ... Global earthquake epicenters, 1963–1998. ... 1964 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The earthquake was felt across the island of Sumatra, and caused widespread power outages in the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh, already devastated by the December 2004 tsunami, and prompted thousands to flee their homes and seek higher ground [2]. In the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur (and surrounding townships such as Bandar Sunway in Subang Jaya) high-rise buildings were evacuated. Sumatra (also spelled Sumatara and Sumatera) is the sixth largest island of the world (approximately 470,000 km²) and is the largest part of Indonesia. ... A power outage is the loss of the electricity supply to an area. ... Devastation to Banda Aceh on the island of Sumatra as a result of the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake (Credit: DigitalGlobe) Banda Aceh is the provincial capital and largest city of Aceh, Indonesia, located on the island of Sumatra at 5°31′ N 95°25′ E, with... Mayor Datuk Ruslin Hasan District Kuala Lumpur District Area  - Total (City) 243. ...

On the Indonesian island of Nias, off the coast of Sumatra, hundreds of buildings have reportedly been levelled by the earthquake, with dozens possibly trapped in the rubble and 330 people reported dead. Media reports indicate that estimated death toll is at least 1000 people with 220 dying in the largest town, Gunungsitoli. Nearly half of Gunungsitoli's population (27,000) have fled the town. The control tower at the nearby airport (Banaka) has collapsed and relief flights will be operating out of Sibolga on nearby Sumatra. Shortly after the quake, Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla announced that initial damage reports suggest that the ultimate death toll on Nias may reach between 1,000 and 2,000 [3]. Pulau Nias off of Sumatra, Indonesia Nias (Bahasa Indonesia: Pulau Nias, Nias language: Tanö Niha) is an island off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. ... Gunung Sitoli is the capital city of Nias regency, North Sumatra province, Indonesia. ... Sibolga is a port on the west coast of the province of North Sumatra, in Indonesia. ... Jusuf Kalla Jusuf Kalla (born Watampone, South Sulawesi May 15th, 1942) is the current Vice President of Indonesia. ...

Although many governments were concerned about the threat of a tsunami, and evacuations were carried out in coastal regions of Thailand, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka, no major tsunamis have been reported. The tsunami that struck Malé in the Maldives on December 26, 2004. ...

Aftershock magnitudes

So far there have been eight major aftershocks in the region, measuring 6.0, 6.7, 5.5, 5.8, 5.7, 5.7, 5.5, and 5.8, respectively. This currently covers the period between the earthquake itself and the next morning (March 29, 2005). March 29 is the 88th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (89th in Leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

Tsunami risk

Tsunami warnings were issued by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) [4] and by the Thai government. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center released an information bulletin about 20 minutes after the earthquake stating that there is no anticipated threat to Pacific coastlines, but warning of the possibility of destructive tsunamis on waters near the earthquake's origin. Experts from the PTWC announced shortly after the earthquake that they expected any tsunami effects to be directed primarily south of the quake's epicentre [5]. The tsunami that struck Malé in the Maldives on December 26, 2004. ... The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a scientific agency of the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere. ... Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) operated by NOAA in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, USA is a tsunami warning system, overseeing the international tsunami prediction and issuing warnings for the Pacific Ocean area. ...

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on the first day from an Indonesian military source that a 3 m-high wave hit Simeulue Island, "causing extensive damage shortly after a massive earthquake" [6]. On 30/31 March, ABC Radio carried first-hand reports from two Australians who had been on or near Nias. Marcus Keeshan, who has lived in these island for about 7 years as a surfing tourism operator, had been in a tourist boat at anchor between Simeulue Island and the Banyak Islands late on Monday night when the earthquake struck. He reported the boat shaking for about a minute then, from about 20 minutes later there were alternating surges that caused the boat to drag its anchor, "rushing, like, with an incredible force, probably 10 or 15 knots of current moving in one direction. The boat was dragging anchor, the current moved 180-degree swing. And then it happened again, the third time the current changed. It rushed for, what? ... 20 minutes it'd rush for.... Like, big waves. It was like we were motoring along.... and in between the change it would go calm for a short period, just totally, yeah, for maybe a minute or two, or five minutes, completely calm, dead calm" [7]. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australias national public broadcaster. ... Sumatra; Simeulue is near the left edge in the upper half Outline of Simeulue, with the epicenter of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake indicated The island and County of Simeulue lies in the Indian Ocean 150 km off the west coast of the province of Aceh on the island of... Surfing outside Kaneohe Bay, Hawai‘i. ...

Portions of Thailand's southern coast were evacuated as a precaution, and NOAA advised an evacuation of 600 miles of coastline in Sumatra. Evacuations also occurred in the northern Malaysian states of Penang and Kedah, as well as the eastern coast of Sri Lanka. Many of the southern states of India were also put on high alert; all of these areas had seen significant damage from December's tsunami. State motto: Penang Leads Capital George Town Governor Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Abbas Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon Area 1,056 km2 Population  - Est year 2000 1,225,501 State anthem Pulau Pinang State Anthem Penang (Malay: Pulau Pinang, Malay (Jawi script): بينانج) is a Malaysian state located on the... State motto: no State motto Capital Alor Star Royal Capital Anak Bukit Sultan Tuanku Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Chief Minister Syed Razak Syed Zain Barakbah Area 9,426 km2 Population  - Est year 2000 1 572 107 State anthem Allah Selamatkan Sultan Mahkota Kedah (Jawi:قدح, pop. ...

By about three hours after the initial shock, no significant tsunami activity had yet been reported in the vicinity of Sumatra, which would be the first area to be struck by any such activity. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had announced, in its final bulletin, "when no major waves are observed for two hours after the estimated time of arrival or damaging waves have not occurred for at least two hours then local authorities can assume that the threat is passed" [8]. Although tsunami warning systems had been actively discussed since the December 2004 earthquake, none had yet been implemented in the Indian Ocean, and so no data was available directly from the Indian Ocean.

After the detection of minor tsunami effects south of the epicenter, including a 30 cm tsunami on Australia's Cocos Islands, the island states of Mauritius, Madagascar, and the Seychelles in the South Indian Ocean issued warnings to their populations soon afterwards. These warnings, too, proved to be false alarms, and were withdrawn early on the day following the earthquake.

Humanitarian response

The United Nations talked with the Indonesian government to take further actions to prevent a possible catastrophe after the strong earthquake, and the US State Department has announced that it will help countries affected by a possible tsunami. The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ... The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ...

Australia announced it would provide AUD 1 million in emergency aid, and, at the request of the Indonesian Government, dispatch Australian Defence Force medical teams and equipment to Nias [9]. The Australian naval ship HMAS Kanimbla, having only recently left Aceh, was redeployed to the region from Singapore. At about 0930UTC 2 April 2005, one of Kanimbla's two Sea King helicopters (callsign: Shark 02) crashed on the island of Nias while taking medical personnel to a village. Nine personnel were killed; six were Navy , plus three from the Royal Australian Air Force. Two others were recovered alive from the site by the other Sea King and given medical assistance in Kanimbla's hospital facilities. This tragedy unfolded just a day before a state visit by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to Australia, which meant that he and the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, were able to express mutual sorry for their countries' losses. Au. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Australian Defence Force numbers about 53,000 active duty personnel. ... HMAS Kanimbla The second HMAS Kanimbla (L-51) was acquired as a training and helicopter support ship, originally built as the Tank Landing Ship (LST) USS Saginaw for the U.S. Navy by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company at San Diego in California. ... 2 April is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... Shark 02 discharging health care personnel arriving onboard HMAS Kanimbla for the Nias deployment. ... The RAAF Roundel is based on that of the British Royal Air Force, with the central circle replaced by a Kangaroo, a symbol of Australia. ... State visits usually involve a military review. ... Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (born September 9, 1949), Indonesian retired military general and stateman, is the sixth President of Indonesia, and the first to be elected directly by voters. ... The current (25th) Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard (sitting, fifth from left), with his Cabinet, 1999 The office of Prime Minister is in practice the most powerful political office in the Commonwealth of Australia. ... John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939), is an Australian politician and the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, coming to office on 11 March , 1996 and winning re-election in 1998, 2001 and 2004. ...

The Indian government announced aid of USD 2 million for the earthquake victims [10]. The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ...

External links

Wikinews has news related to this article:

Magnitude 8.7 earthquake hits Northern Sumatra, Indonesia

• USGS Earthquake Event
• Indonesia-Relief.Org: Sumatra Earthquake
• Haaretz Daily
• BBC News
• CNN report
• ABC News (USA)
• Government of Singapore
• Bernama News Agency
• Small Tsunami Waves detected on Western Australian Coastline

Wikinews has news related to this article:

Panic in Sumatra after new earthquake

• BBC News: Panic in Sumatra after April 10th magnitude 6.7 earthquake about 120km (75 miles) south-west of the city of Padang - also see Wikinews