More Than 2,500 Aftershocks In Wake Of Asia Tsunamis

TECTONICS

The only shock these post-tsunami tourists are going to face is the lack of room service. AFP file photo.

Vienna, Austria (AFP) Jan 06, 2005
More than 2,500 aftershocks have been recorded in the wake of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake which triggered devastating tidal waves in south Asia 11 days ago, the body set up to monitor nuclear tests said Thursday.

"1,500 aftershocks were recorded in the 48 hours that followed the quake, and 1,000 since then, said Bernhard Wrabetz, a spokesman for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO).

One of the strongest tremors, measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale, was observed Wednesday off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, he added.

CTBTO experts believe that the aftershocks will continue for several months but will become more and more sporadic.

Earlier Thursday, the CTBTO said Indonesia and Thailand were warned almost immediately of the massive undersea earthquake which struck on December 26, unleashing tsunamis that have killed more than 146,000 people around the shores of the Indian Ocean.

The Vienna-based CTBTO has a network of sensors across the world, which were set up to detect any nuclear tests that violate the 1996 treaty but also monitor natural seismic activity.

"Our mission is not to detect earthquakes and tsunamis, but we want to adapt our system so that it can also function to this end," with a specific alert capacity, Wrabetz added.

The giant waves sparked by the quake off Sumatra hit Indonesia within 30 minutes and Thailand half an hour later, killing more than 90,000 and more than 5,000 people respectively. The failure to give a warning sparked a row in Thailand, where many foreign tourists were among the victims.

The Thai government announced last week it would set up an inquiry into why the public was not alerted.

All rights reserved. � 2004 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

TECTONICS

Reducing The Death Toll From Tsunami

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 04, 2005
The devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 26th December 2004 was caused by the largest earthquake that has been recorded in 40 years. Within minutes of the quake occurring the Tsunami Warning Centers in Hawaii and Alaska knew of the potential for a severe tsunami in the Indian Ocean.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.