2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/2004-indian-ocean-earthquake-and-tsunami

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How long is the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami?Approximately 1,300 kilometers (800 miles)
2. How tall is the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami?Up to 30 meters (100 feet) in some locations
3. What is the date and time of event?December 26, 2004, 00:58:53 UTC
4. What is the estimated fatalities?Over 230,000 people
5. What caused the big waves in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami?The earthquake under the ocean moved the seafloor many meters, pushing a huge amount of water up and creating giant waves.
6. How fast did the tsunami waves travel across the ocean?The waves could travel as fast as 800 km/h, like a jet airplane, when they were in deep water.

Megathrust Earthquake: An earthquake that occurs at a subduction zone where one tectonic plate slides beneath another.
Subduction Zone: A geological process where one tectonic plate moves under another and sinks into the mantle.
Moment Magnitude Scale (Mw): A scale that measures the total energy released by an earthquake, considered more accurate for large quakes.
Tsunami: A series of large ocean waves generated by sudden displacement of the seafloor, typically caused by earthquakes.