3. India and Burma Plate Subduction The cause for the initial earthquake was the subduction of the India tectonic plate under the Burma tectonic plate. The India plate took several minutes to slide 15 meters below the Burma plate. The sea bed is estimated to have risen several meters, thus displacing 30 km³ of water and triggering several devastating tsunamis The raising of the sea bed caused a permanent rise in global sea level by 0.1 mm. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake#Tectonic_plates http://www.ga.gov.au/image_cache/GA5943.gif
5. Signs and Warnings While there are several warning systems in the Pacific Ocean for earthquakes and tsunamis, there Are none set up in the Indian Ocean. The tsunamis were a great surprise to the countries hit, thus the people were ill prepared to deal with Reacting to the flooding. Only a few coastal areas were properly evacuated, One being the small island of Simeulue. Due to tales of a tsunami that hit there in 1907, the people fled when they felt the similar tremble of the earth that their relations had years before. A 10 year old British girl on vacation with her parents recognized the signs of a tsunami from her geography class in school. She and her parents were able to warn several others and managed to have the Maikhao beach in northern Phuket, Thailand evacuated before the tsunami reached them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake#Signs_and_warnings
6. Second tsunami wave retreating at 10:17 A.M. Kata Noi Beach, Thailand. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:2ndTsunamiWave.JPG
7. Receded waters of second tsunami at 10:20 A.M. Kata Noi Beach, Thailand. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:KataNoiRecedingWaters.JPG
8. Third tsunami wave at 11:00 A.M. Kata Noi Beach, Thailand http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:KataNoiHighest.jpg
