skip navigation link
NOAA > NESDIS > NGDC > MGG > Natural Hazards
privacy policy

Tsunami Event

Date Tsunami Cause Tsunami Source Location Tsunami Parameters
Val Code Earth-
quake Mag		 Max
Water
Height		 Num. of
Runups		 Magnitude Tsu
Int		 Warn Status
Year Mo Dy Hr Mn Sec Country Name Latitude Longitude Abe Iida
2004 12 26 0 58 53.4 4 1 9.0 INDONESIA OFF W. COAST OF SUMATRA 3.295 95.982 50.90 997 4
tsevent
Tsunami Effects Total Effects (Tsunami and Source) Photos
Deaths Injuries Damage Houses Destroyed Houses Damaged Deaths Injuries Damage Houses Destroyed Houses Damaged
Num De Num De $Mill De Num De Num De Num De Num De $Mill De Num De Num De
227898 4 3 10000 4 3 227898 4 3 10000 4 3 39
Tsunami Comments

Comments for the Tsunami Event

Display listing of nearby tsunami events

Display map of nearby tsunami events

The tsunami generated by the earthquake off the coast of northern Sumatra was recorded nearly world-wide and killed more people than any other tsunami in recorded history. More than 297,248 people were either killed or listed as missing and presumed dead and 1,126,900 were displaced by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. The estimated economic losses exceed $10 billion (Reference #1610).

Reference #3969 lists 227,898 dead or missing.

Reference #3757 lists approximately 250,000 lives were lost.

The estimates below are from References #1053 and #3969:

Indonesia:167,540 people killed or missing, 426,800 displaced in Aceh and Sumatera Utara Provinces. Wave heights of 30 m along the west coast of Sumatra.
Sri Lanka:35,322 killed or missing, 552,600 displaced. Wave heights of 5-10 m.
India:16,269 killed or missing, 112,500 displaced in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu and Andaman and Nicobar Is. Wave heights of 20 m in the Andaman Is. and 10 m on the east coast of India.
Thailand:8,212 killed or missing, 8,400 injured. Wave heights of 3-5 m in the Phuket area.
Somalia:289 killed, 5,000 displaced
Yemen:2 killed
Myanmar:61 killed or missing, 3,200 displaced
Tanzania:13 killed
Maldives:82 killed, 26 missing, 21,600 displaced
Malaysia:75 killed or missing, 4,200 displaced
Seychelles:2 killed
Bangladesh:2 killed
Kenya:1 killed
South Africa:2 killed
Madagascar:1,000 displaced
Mauritius:some damage
Mozambique:tsunami observed, no damage reported
Australia:tsunami caused minor damage at Geraldton and Mangles Bay. People swept into the ocean at Delambre Is and Geographe Bay, but all survived.

Seiches were observed in India and the United States. Subsidence and landslides were observed in Sumatra. A mud volcano near Baratang, Andaman Is. became active on December 28 and gas emissions were reported in Arakan, Myanmar.

NOAA/PMEL wave animations: Indian Ocean, Global

NOAA/PMEL calculated wave: Amplitude, Travel time

More information: NOAA Satellite Wave Height Measurements, NOAA/NGDC DMSP - OLS Light Detection

References for a Tsunami event ID

References for the Tsunami Event

ID Author Year Citation
5198 Cho, Y-S; Lakshumanan, C; Choi, BH; Lee, SO; Hwang, K-N 2009 A field report on the impact of the 2004 sumatra tsunami along the southeast coast of India. Coastal Engineering Journal, vol. 51, no. 1, p. 1-26.
5195 Choowong, M; Phantuwongraj, S; Charoentitirat, T; Chutakositkanon, V; Yumuang, S; Charusiri, P 2009 Beach recovery after 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami from Phang-nga, Thailand. Geomorphology, vol. 104, no. 3-4, p. 134-142.
5162 Choowong, Montri; Murakoshi, Naomi; Hisada, Ken-ichiro; Charoentitirat, Thasinee; Charusiri, Punya; Phantuwongraj, Sumet; Wongkok, Prawpan; Choowong, Alongkorn; Subsayjun, Rittirong; Chutakositkanon, Vichai; Jankaew, Kruawan; Kanjanapayont, Pitsanupong 2008 Flow conditions of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Thailand, inferred from capping bedforms and sedimentary structures. Terra Nova, vol. 20, no. 2, p. 141-149.
3968 Cosgrave, John 2007 Synthesis Report: Expanded Summary, Joint evaluation of the international response to the Indian Ocean tsunami, published by the Tsunami Evaluation Coaliton (TEC), January 2007, 42 p.
1304 Goring, Derek 2005 Sumatra Tsunami at New Zealand Ports and Harbours. Retrieved July 5, 2005 from http://www.mulgor.co.nz/SumatraTsunami/
1312 Harry Yeh, R.K. Chadha, Toshitaka Katada, G. Latha, Curt Peterson 2005 Preliminary field survey of the earthquake and tsunami of 26 December, 2004, National Science Foundation, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. Retrieved Aug 1, 2005 from http://tsunami.oregonstate.edu/Dec2004/eeri/Runup-Results.html
5193 Hulugalle, NR; Jaya, R; Luther, GC; Ferizal, M; Daud, S; Yufniati, ZA; Feriyanti, F; Han, B 2009 Physical properties of tsunami-affected soils in Aceh, Indonesia: 2 1/2 years after the tsunami. Catena, vol. 77, no. 3, p. 224-231.
1610 Munich Re Group 2005 Annual Review: Natural Catastrophes 2004 in the Munich Re Group Knowledge Series, Topics Geo, 2005, 60 p.
1053 National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) 1971 to present Preliminary Determination of Epicenters (PDE), a weekly and monthly publication, National Earthquake Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Golden, Colorado, 1971 to present.
1351 National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC) 2005 Magnitude 9.0 Sumatra-Andaman Islands Earthquake retrieved September 29, 2005 from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2004.usslav/ National Earthquake Information Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Golden, Colorado.
1308 Osamu Isao, Takasi Tomita, Kazuhiko Honda, Naomiti trust Oka, Minoru Hanzawa, Hiroyuki Fujii, Hideo Motoya, Time lower Sadao, Hiro Masa Tatsumi 2005 The December 26, 2004 Sumatra Earthquake Tsunami, Tsunami Field Survey for Maldives. Retrieved July 6, 2005 from http://www.drs.dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/sumatra/maldives/Maldives.htm
5217 Ranjan, Rajesh Kumar; Ramanathan, Al; Singh, Gurmeet 2008 Evaluation of geochemical impact of tsunami on Pichavaram mangrove ecosystem, southeast coast of India. Environmental Geology (Berlin), vol. 55, no. 3, p. 687-697.
5149 Sugawara, Daisuke; Minoura, Koji; Nemoto, Naoki; Tsukawaki, Shinji; Goto, Kazuhisa; Imamura, Fumihiko 2009 Foraminiferal evidence of submarine sediment transport and deposition by backwash during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The Island Arc, vol. 18, no. 3, p. 513-525.
5216 Sujatha, CH; Aneeshkumar, N; Renjith, KR 2008 Chemical assessment of sediment along the coastal belt of Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu, India, after the 2004 tsunami. Current Science, Vol. 95, no. 3, p. 382-385.
3451 Synolakis, Costas E., Laura Kong 2006 Runup Measurements of the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, Earthquake Spectra, Vol. 22, No. S3.
3969 Telford, John, and John Cosgrave 2006 Synthesis Report: Joint evaluation of the international response to the Indian Ocean tsunami, published by the Tsunami Evaluation Coaliton (TEC), July 2006, 176 p.
1307 Tsuji , J., H. Matsumoto, Y. Namegaya, Wattana Kanbua, Mongkonkorn Sriwichai, Vorawit Meesuk, Pairash Thajchayapong, Prayuth Netprapa, Seree Supartid, Yasuji Watanabe, Royol Chitradon 2005 The December 26, 2004 Sumatra Earthquake Tsunami, Measured Tsunami Heights from 2nd Field Survey of Thailand. Retrieved July 6, 2005 from http://www.drs.dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/sumatra/thailand2
1305 Tsuji, Yoshinobu, Hideo Matsutomi, Yuichiro Tanioka, Yuichi Nishimura, Tsutomu Sakakiyama, Takanobu Kamataki, Yoshikane Murakami, Andy Moore, Guy Gelfenbanm 2005 Distribution of the Tsunami Heights of the 2004 Sumatra Tsunami in Banda Aceh measured by the Tsunami Survey Team (The Head: Dr. Tsuji). Retrieved July 6, 2005 from http://www.eri.u-tokyo.ac.jp/namegaya/sumatera/surveylog/eindex.htm
3757 United Nations Environment Programme 2005 After the Tsunami Rapid Environmental Assessment retrieved January 11, 2008, from http://www.unep.org/tsunami/reports/TSUNAMI_report_complete.pdf
540 West Coast/Alaska Tsunami Warning Center 2005 Retrieved January 5, 2005, from http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/IndianOSite/IndianO12-26-04.htm