EARTHQuake
Magnitude 9.0 - OFF THE WEST COAST OF
NORTHERN SUMATRA
2004 December 26 00:58:49 UTC
original rendering by Steven Jessup 12 27 2004
The devastating megathrust earthquake of December 26th, 2004 occurred on the interface of the India and Burma plates and was caused by the release of stresses that develop as the India plate subducts beneath the overriding Burma plate. The India plate begins its descent into the mantle at the Sunda trench which lies to the west of the earthquake's epicenter. The trench is the surface expression of the plate interface between the Australia and India plates, situated to the southwest of the trench, and the Burma and Sunda plates, situated to the northeast.
