Ten years on:

2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

The 2004 earthquake and tsunami

The largest earthquake ever recorded in the Indian Ocean

M6.3 Christchurch,

NZ, 2011

M5.7 Newcastle, AU, 1989

M7.8 San Francisco,

USA, 1906

M9.1Sumatra, ID, 2004

The earthquake ruptured 1200 kilometres in 10 minutes—the distance from Canberra to Brisbane

10 min

1200 km

Brisbane

Canberra

Some tsunami heights measured over 30 metres

10 buses or

30 m

On the morning of 26 December 2004, a magnitude 9.1 undersea earthquake ruptured along a 1200 kilometre fault line off the west coast of Northern Sumatra. The earthquake generated a massive series of tsunami, devastating the immediate coastal areas of western Indonesia and spreading out across the Indian Ocean to impact communities in 11 countries. The earthquake–tsunami event is the most devastating in recorded history, causing the deaths of between 220 000 and 300 000 people.

Responding to tsunami threat

Tsunami waves are able to reach Australian mainland within two hours

Creation and deployment of earthquake and ocean monitoring systems

Establishment of 24/7 monitoring, analysis and warning operations, 365 days per year

monitoring,analysis

and warning

In response to the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, and to mitigate against tsunami threat to Australia from both the Pacific and Indian oceans, the Australian Government established the Australian Tsunami Warning System. The system provides monitoring, analysis and warning operations for the entire Australian continent and its territories, 365 days per year.

Collaboration for community safety

Coordinated approach for safer global communities

Real-time sharing of data across the Indian Ocean

15 minutes—time taken to identify event and issue Australian tsunami warning

Identifyactivity

Sendalert 15

min

Australia’s world-class tsunami warning system now operates 24 hours a day and is a major component of a multinational Indian Ocean tsunami warning system—providing real-time, rapid-response tsunami information to countries bordering the Indian Ocean. Within 10 minutes, we detect and notify of an earthquake with the potential to generate a tsunami, providing the public, media, emergency managers and other relevant authorities with tsunami warnings within 15 minutes.