Skip to content

Search

The Indian Ocean Tsunami Kills Across Fourteen Countries · Chronopin

DisasterPosted 09/21/202609/21/2026 at 8:57 pm·@ScienceDesk To timeline

The Indian Ocean Tsunami Kills Across Fourteen Countries

The Indian Ocean Tsunami Kills Across Fourteen Countries

The Indian Ocean Tsunami Kills Across Fourteen Countries

Starts 12/26/2004 12:58AM

Off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia

Tags

Marine
Aceh
Boxing Day Tsunami
Indian Ocean
Megathrust
Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake

Comments

The source^[1] gives "26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7)", which is 00:58:53 UTC; the USGS^[2][3] catalogue records 00:58:53.450Z for event official20041226005853450_30.

Start: Dec 26, 200490% CONFIDENCEfrom the source

The Indian Ocean Tsunami Kills Across Fourteen Countries

A magnitude 9.1 megathrust rupture off Aceh generated a tsunami that crossed the Indian Ocean and struck coastlines from Indonesia to East Africa. It is the third-largest earthquake ever instrumentally recorded.

The Mw 9.2-9.3 undersea megathrust earthquake struck at 07:58:53 local time on 26 December 2004, with its epicentre off the west coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra. [S]
It was caused by a rupture along the fault boundary between the Burma plate and the Indian plate and reached a maximum Mercalli intensity in the extreme range. [S]
The USGS catalogue lists it at magnitude 9.1 with an epicentre at 3.295N, 95.982E and a depth of 30 km. [2]
The USGS ranks it among the largest earthquakes instrumentally recorded anywhere since 1900. [1]

0

References 393% CONFIDENCE

The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.

[1]90%
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake_and_tsunami
en.wikipedia.org· Posted Sep 21, 2026· Starts Dec 26, 2004 ✓· 33% of score
The source gives "26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7)", which is 00:58:53 UTC; the USGS^[2][3] catalogue records 00:58:53.450Z for event official20041226005853450_30.
[2]95%
20 Largest Earthquakes in the World Since 1900 | U.S. Geological Survey
usgs.gov· Added Sep 21, 2026· 33% of score
The USGS's^[3] own ranking of the largest recorded earthquakes, which places this event among them.
[3]95%
M 9.1 - 2004 Sumatra - Andaman Islands Earthquake
earthquake.usgs.gov· Added Sep 21, 2026· 33% of score
The USGS^[2] catalogue entry for this event, the authority for its magnitude, origin time, depth and epicentre.

Suggest a correction

Something missing or wrong? Say it in your own words: a link that backs this pin up, a different start or end date and why, or a fact it lacks or gets wrong. The AI checks it against this pin's sources, searches for better ones, and adds any page that backs you up. The pin's own sources still count most.

Comments

Thread

Respond to this Pin

1The Indian Ocean Tsunami Kills Across Fourteen Countries

More like this

Infrastructure09/14/2026@ThePinGang
Japan Decides to Wall Off Its Coast After the Tōhoku Tsunami
Rikuzentakata, Iwate, JapanMinistry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Starts 03/11/2011CONFIRMED 75% CONFIDENCE15.5 years agoThe seawall program has no single completion date and remains partly unfinished as of 2026, so this pin is dated to the 11 March 2011 Tōhoku tsunami — the confirmed, exact date of the disaster that led Japan to commit to building it (construction of the network itself began in 2012, per contemporary sources).^[1]
Weeks after a tsunami kills nearly 20,000 people, Japan commits to a chain of concrete seawalls along 400 km of the Tōhoku coast — a decision that is still dividing the fishing towns behind it.
$8.2B
0.67
Disaster09/21/2026@ScienceDesk
Krakatoa Explodes and Is Heard 4,800 km Away
Krakatoa, Sunda Strait, Indonesia
Starts 08/27/1883CONFIRMED 90% CONFIDENCE143.1 years agoThe source^[1] names the day and the hour of the largest blast: "On 27 August, the island had its most significant eruption ... the third explosion of that day, that occurred at 10:02 a.m., remains the loudest-known sound in history."
The third explosion of 27 August 1883 destroyed over 70% of the island and remains the loudest sound in recorded history, audible in Perth and near Mauritius. The eruption and its tsunamis killed at least 36,417 people.
0.66
Disaster09/21/2026@ScienceDesk
The Ancash Earthquake Buries Yungay Under Huascaran
Offshore Chimbote, Ancash, Peru
Starts 05/31/1970 8:23PMCONFIRMED 93% CONFIDENCE56.3 years agoThe source^[1] gives "31 May off the coast of Peru in the Pacific Ocean at 15:23:29 local time", which is 20:23:29 UTC; the USGS^[2] catalogue records 20:23:30 UTC for event iscgem796163.
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake off the Peruvian coast shook loose part of Mount Huascaran, and the debris avalanche buried the town of Yungay. An estimated 66,794 to 70,000 people died, the world's deadliest avalanche.
0.64
Climate06/24/2017@ThePinGang
Five Pacific islands lost to rising seas as climate change hits
Starts 01/01/2014 CONFIRMED 87% CONFIDENCE12.7 years agoHappened as dated, per iopscience.iop.org^[1]: "…ing the box below. If you are unable to complete the above request please contact us using the below…"
Using time series aerial and satellite imagery from 1947 to 2014 of 33 islands, along with historical insight from local knowledge, we have identified five vegetated reef islands that have vanished over this time period and a further six islands experiencing severe shoreline recession.
0.63
Weather09/21/2026@ClimateDesk
The Bhola Cyclone Kills at Least 300,000 in the Ganges Delta
Bhola Island, Ganges Delta, Bangladesh
Starts 11/12/1970CONFIRMED 90% CONFIDENCE55.9 years agoThe source^[1] dates the strike in its opening line — it "struck East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) and India's West Bengal on 12 November 1970" — though its own track narrative says the cyclone peaked on 10 November and made landfall "on the following afternoon". The received date of 12 November is used, and the discrepancy is noted rather than resolved.
The deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded drove a storm surge over the low-lying islands of the Ganges Delta. At least 300,000 died, and the Pakistani government's response helped set off the Bangladesh Liberation War.
0.63
Disaster09/21/2026@ScienceDesk
The Great Lisbon Earthquake Destroys Lisbon
Lisbon, Portugal
Starts 11/01/1755CONFIRMED 90% CONFIDENCE270.9 years agoThe source^[1] dates it firmly — the earthquake "hit the Iberian Peninsula and Northwest Africa on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time". The day is certain; the hour is only "around", so the pin is all-day rather than timed.
A magnitude 7.7-or-greater earthquake struck off Cape St. Vincent on the morning of All Saints' Day, and fires and a tsunami finished what the shaking began. Between 30,000 and 40,000 died in Lisbon alone.
0.63
Disaster09/21/2026@ScienceDesk
The Kahramanmaras Earthquakes Devastate Turkey and Syria
Pazarcik, Kahramanmaras Province, Turkey
Starts 02/06/2023 1:17AMCONFIRMED 92% CONFIDENCE3.6 years agoThe source^[1] times the first shock exactly: "The first earthquake occurred at 04:17:35 TRT (01:17:35 UTC), measuring moment magnitude (Mw) of 7.8." The USGS^[2][3] catalogue records 01:17:34Z for event us6000jllz.
A magnitude 7.8 strike-slip earthquake hit southern Turkey at 04:17 local time and reached Mercalli intensity XII around the epicentre and in Antakya. A magnitude 7.5 shock followed nine hours later.
0.61
Disaster09/21/2026@ScienceDesk
Lake Nyos Suffocates 1,746 People With Carbon Dioxide
Lake Nyos, Northwest Region, Cameroon
Starts 08/21/1986CONFIRMED 89% CONFIDENCE40.1 years agoThe source^[1] opens with the date and the toll: "On 21 August 1986, a limnic eruption at Lake Nyos in northwestern Cameroon killed 1,746 people and 3,500 livestock." No hour is given, so the pin is all-day.
A limnic eruption released 100,000-300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from a crater lake in northwestern Cameroon. Heavier than air, the cloud rolled downhill and suffocated everyone and everything within 25 km.
0.60
Sports09/20/2026@SportDesk
The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Opens in Southern Africa
The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, South AfricaInternational Cricket Council
10/04/2027 - 11/21/2027SCHEDULED 75% CONFIDENCEin 1.0 yearsWikipedia's^[1] tournament article says it "is scheduled to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia from 4 October to 21 November 2027".
The 14th Cricket World Cup is played across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, the second time South Africa and Zimbabwe have co-hosted after 2003 and the first time Namibia has hosted. Cricket South Africa confirmed eight grounds including the Wanderers, Kingsmead and Newlands.
0.58
Infrastructure09/15/2026@BuildDesk
Port City Colombo Completes Its Land Reclamation
Port City Colombo, Colombo, Sri LankaChina Communications Construction Company
Starts 01/16/2019CONFIRMED 90% CONFIDENCE7.7 years agoConfirmed against contemporaneous reporting of the reclamation completion ceremony. Happened as dated, per the source^[1]: "the reclamation of 269 hectares from the Indian Ocean".
Sri Lanka finishes reclaiming 269 hectares of land from the Indian Ocean off Colombo, laying the ground for the Chinese-backed Port City Colombo financial district.
0.58
Disaster09/21/2026@ScienceDesk
The Strongest Earthquake Ever Recorded Hits Valdivia
Offshore Valdivia, Los Rios, Chile
Starts 05/22/1960 7:11PMCONFIRMED 93% CONFIDENCE66.3 years agoThe USGS^[2][3] catalogue gives 1960-05-22T19:11:20Z as the origin time of event official19600522191120_30; the source^[1] states "19:11:14 UTC, 15:11:14 local time", six seconds earlier, and the catalogue value is used here.
A magnitude 9.5 megathrust rupture off southern Chile shook for ten minutes — the strongest earthquake ever instrumentally recorded. Its tsunami crossed the Pacific and struck Hilo, Hawaii, with waves 10.7 m high.
0.58
Transport09/14/2026@ThePinGang
Glacier Collapse Destroys the Rasuwagadhi Border Crossing
Rasuwagadhi, Rasuwa District, NepalRasuwagadhi Hydropower Company
Starts 08/26/2026CONFIRMED 78% CONFIDENCE28 days agoWikipedia^[3] and contemporary reporting (CNN, Stimson Center) date the Rasuwagadhi flash flood to the morning of 26 August 2026.
A chunk of the Langtang Lirung glacier breaks off 5 km up the valley and grows into a debris flow that wipes out the Nepal–China border crossing, its bridges, and a 111 MW hydropower plant.
0.58