The 2004 tsunami was the largest of the last six centuries

2008/12/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Geologia
• Ozeanografia

In 2004, a tsunami in the Indian Ocean caused 220,000 deaths. Now, two groups of geologists have concluded that the last tsunami of this measure occurred around 1300-1400.

One of the groups has researched in the Thai area of Phuket, led by geologist Jankaew from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. The other, directed by Monecke of the Kent University of the United States, in the Aceh of the island Sumatra of Indonesia. Both groups have sought in the sediments the remains of tsunamis that occurred in the last 2,500 years and have discovered that the last tsunami that affected both places was that of the Middle Ages. Moreover, according to the footprints, it has been proposed that the tsunamis of this magnitude occur with a certain frequency, every 600-700 years.

These data will be used to create a tsunami prediction system. Although giant tsunamis are rare phenomena and only 5% of the tsunamis that occur in the world occur in the Indian Ocean, a system that would serve to anticipate the small tsunamis that occur in the area every few years.