Geological Disaster-Tsunami

Living on planet earth geological disasters happen every so often that we cannot control. Geological hazards consist of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, and landslides (Cunningham and Cunningham 297-316).  When these natural disasters happen under water it creates a tsunami. A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water ("Wikipedia").  When natural disasters occur it has a tremendous effect on earth’s resources the environment, and all species.

In 2004 a large tsunami hit the Indian Ocean. The tsunami was caused by an undersea mega thrust earthquake that took place Sunday, December 26, 2004 ("Wikipedia").  It was one of the most deadliest natural disasters, hitting India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand ("Wikipedia").  This geological disaster killed over 230,000 people. This disaster was very unexpected for those affected by it. There was nothing that could stop this large tsunami from happening.

The tsunami that occurred was due to the sliding of plates. “An estimated 1,600 kilometers of fault surface slipped along the subduction zone where the India Plate slides under the overriding Burma plate” ("Wikipedia").  The India plate sinked deeper beneath the Burma plate which eventually caused partial melting and the formation of magma ("Wikipedia").  The rising magma causes volcanic activity that created the Sunda Arc ("Wikipedia").  The sea floor rose by several meters, displacing an estimated 30 cubic kilometers of water that triggered the tsunami wave ("Wikipedia")

One of the countries that was hit by this massive tsunami was one of the most overpopulated countries, India. The population of India is extremely large approximately 1.1 billion ("Freewebs").  Many citizens of India are already suffering from lack of food and water. Some people don’t even have electricity in their homes ("Freewebs").  India is a developing country that was already struggling before the Tsunami hit. The tsunami made it much harder for Indian people to survive and have a decent living. Because India is so overpopulated the tsunami affected a large some of people making their living situation harder. Other countries began to help India and other countries that were affected by the Tsunami. In response to the catastrophe a worldwide humanitarian was promoted ("Wikipedia").  Worldwide a total of 14 billion dollars was donated in humanitarian aid ("Wikipedia").

In Conclusion geological disaster is something we all must learn to live with. These catastrophes affect the world in many ways.  One thing we all can do when disasters do happen is come together. We can try to help those in need as we would want others to do for us in the same situation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Citation

"2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 20 2012. Web. 23 Oct 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake>.

Cunningham, Mary Ann, and William Cunningham. Enviromental Science. 12th ed. Newyork: McGraw-Hill, 2012. 297-316. Print.

"Global Issues Overpopulation in India." Freewebs. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Oct 2012. <http://www.freewebs.com/overpopulation/>.