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09/02/2005
First images released of deep-sea tsunami site
The first images from the offshore investigation into the area devastated by the Asian tsunami and earthquake have been released.
Navy vessel, HMS Scott, was despatched to the area to conduct an examination of the ocean floor, near the epicentre of the Asian earthquake, which triggered the Boxing Day tsunami.
The ship, a deep water hydrographic vessel, is using swatch bathymetry, a technique that produces high quality maps of the deep seafloor, to help identify features that may be due to the recent earthquake or previous tectonic events.
Scientists from the British Geological Society and the Southampton Oceanography Centre are also on board the HMS Scott to help interpret the data uncovered by the investigation, which began at the end of the January.
Scientists said that the earthquake, which measured 9.0 on the Richter Scale, occurred around 40 kilometres below the seafloor, where the Indian Plate is colliding with the Burman Plate. This collision has resulted in the Indian Plate being pushed underneath the Burman Plate and scientists say that it was a sudden movement of these two plates that triggered the earthquake and resulting tsunami in December.
The first images show the boundary between the deep, flat Indian Plate and the heavily deformed edge of the Burman Plate. Scientists have discovered that the collision forced up large thrust ridges, measuring up to 1500 metres high – higher than Ben Nevis. These unstable blocks have collapsed in places, producing large landslides, several kilometres across, that have scarred the seafloor.
Scientists from the Southampton Oceanography Centre say that these initial results will form the basis for further study in the area, as part of an international research effort. Dr Lisa McNeill said: "We hope to understand better the geological processes which produced the earthquake and tsunami hazards so that everyone can be aware and prepared."
HMS Scott is due to return to the UK in April.
The tsunami images can be seen at: www.soc.soton.ac.uk
(KMcA/SP)
Navy vessel, HMS Scott, was despatched to the area to conduct an examination of the ocean floor, near the epicentre of the Asian earthquake, which triggered the Boxing Day tsunami.
The ship, a deep water hydrographic vessel, is using swatch bathymetry, a technique that produces high quality maps of the deep seafloor, to help identify features that may be due to the recent earthquake or previous tectonic events.
Scientists from the British Geological Society and the Southampton Oceanography Centre are also on board the HMS Scott to help interpret the data uncovered by the investigation, which began at the end of the January.
Scientists said that the earthquake, which measured 9.0 on the Richter Scale, occurred around 40 kilometres below the seafloor, where the Indian Plate is colliding with the Burman Plate. This collision has resulted in the Indian Plate being pushed underneath the Burman Plate and scientists say that it was a sudden movement of these two plates that triggered the earthquake and resulting tsunami in December.
The first images show the boundary between the deep, flat Indian Plate and the heavily deformed edge of the Burman Plate. Scientists have discovered that the collision forced up large thrust ridges, measuring up to 1500 metres high – higher than Ben Nevis. These unstable blocks have collapsed in places, producing large landslides, several kilometres across, that have scarred the seafloor.
Scientists from the Southampton Oceanography Centre say that these initial results will form the basis for further study in the area, as part of an international research effort. Dr Lisa McNeill said: "We hope to understand better the geological processes which produced the earthquake and tsunami hazards so that everyone can be aware and prepared."
HMS Scott is due to return to the UK in April.
The tsunami images can be seen at: www.soc.soton.ac.uk
(KMcA/SP)
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