South and Central Asia · Disaster

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami

26 December 2004 and its aftermath · Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and wider Indian Ocean

A megathrust earthquake off Sumatra generated tsunamis that devastated Indian Ocean coasts, killing and displacing communities across South and Southeast Asia.

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AI-generated evidence-guided visualization related to 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, 26 December 2004 and its aftermath. — AI-generated visualization based on the cited record and period context. It is not documentary evidence or an authenticated reconstruction of a single event.

How the setting appeared

Low-lying coasts, fishing settlements, rail lines, roads and tourist areas were inundated, leaving debris fields and damaged freshwater systems.

Agent citation CIT-NOAA-TSUNAMICIT-USGS-TSUNAMI Setting and material context · 2 registered source URLs · registration is not semantic proof · audit HEM-AUDIT-20260812

How people lived

Families lost relatives, homes and livelihoods; recovery varied with class, location, land rights, disability, gender and access to relief.

Agent citation CIT-NOAA-TSUNAMICIT-USGS-TSUNAMI Lifeways and community · 2 registered source URLs · registration is not semantic proof · audit HEM-AUDIT-20260812

How people worked

Fishers, transport crews, health workers, engineers, volunteers and international responders conducted rescue, burial, shelter and reconstruction work.

Agent citation CIT-NOAA-TSUNAMICIT-USGS-TSUNAMI Work, tools and exchange · 2 registered source URLs · registration is not semantic proof · audit HEM-AUDIT-20260812

Belief, ritual and worship

Communities used diverse religious and memorial practices in mourning and recovery, but the earthquake and tsunami have geophysical causes rather than religious ones.

Agent citation CIT-NOAA-TSUNAMICIT-USGS-TSUNAMI Belief, ritual and evidence limits · 2 registered source URLs · registration is not semantic proof · audit HEM-AUDIT-20260812

World-atlas stage: Living world
Region: South Asia · Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and wider Indian Ocean
Languages and scripts: Sinhala; Tamil; Dhivehi; Malayalam and other affected coastal languages
Important people: No individual is centered in this record
Events and changes: Magnitude 9.1 Sumatra-Andaman megathrust earthquake; Indian Ocean-wide tsunami; Mass casualty and displacement; Expansion of regional warning systems
Evidence confidence: High: instrumental and field evidence establish the event; casualty totals differ by source and many missing people were never individually confirmed.

Agent citation CIT-NOAA-TSUNAMICIT-USGS-TSUNAMI Dates, place, language, people, events and confidence · 2 registered source URLs · registration is not semantic proof · audit HEM-AUDIT-20260812

Historical geography

A dated anchor, not an exact border

The local map uses modern coastlines only for orientation. The marker identifies this record's geographic anchor, not the full reach of a community or polity.

Map geometry loads only when requested. Modern outlines are orientation only; historical geography and identities changed through time.

Agent citation CIT-NOAA-TSUNAMICIT-USGS-TSUNAMI Historical-geography anchor and stated limits · 2 registered source URLs · registration is not semantic proof · audit HEM-AUDIT-20260812

Evidence register

Guides used for this record

Each registered source ID is paired with its institutional URL for independent checking. Source count is transparent, and duplicate URLs count only once.

CIT-NOAA-TSUNAMI

The Indian Ocean Tsunami, 26 December 2004

https://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/indo_1204.html

NOAA Center for Tsunami Research

CIT-USGS-TSUNAMI

Tsunami Generation from the 2004 M9.1 Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake

https://www.usgs.gov/centers/pcmsc/science/tsunami-generation-2004-m91-sumatra-andaman-earthquake

U.S. Geological Survey

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