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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

earthquake history, Indonesia, tsunami

College

Physical and Mathematical Sciences

Department

Geological Sciences

Abstract

Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world by population and encompasses thousands of islands. The tropical climate, fertile soil, and vast natural resources continue to fuel rapid population and economic growth. Much of the natural abundance of Indonesia can be attributed to its active and complex geology. Hundreds of volcanoes build, shape, and destroy islands while powerful earthquakes rock the land and sometimes generate devastating tsunamis. The Great Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and tsunami of 2004 is a sobering reminder of the region’s destructive potential. This event was not a surprise to a handful of researchers like Dr. Ron Harris who studied over 300 years of seismic history for that part of the country. The seismic history of eastern Indonesia before 1900, however, was practically unknown to anyone living until we began our research.

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