Survey of the December 26TH 2004 Indian ocean Tsunami in Sri Lanka

Abstract

An International Tsunami Survey Team (ITST) consisting of scientists from the U.S., New Zealand, and Sri Lanka evaluated the impacts of the December 26th 2004 transoceanic tsunami in Sri Lanka two weeks after the event. Tsunami runup, height, inundation distance, morphological changes, and sedimentary characteristics of deposits were recorded and analyzed along the southwest and east coasts of the country. Preliminary results show how local topography and bathymetry controlled the limits of inundation and associated damage to the infrastructure. At some sites, human alterations to the landscape increased damage caused by the tsunami.