just reading a website I visit
www.femail.co.uk Its the website to the daily paper that I read and it has published a timeline for the terrible asian disaster. I thought it may be of interest to those who were interested in the timing
here is what it says:
Sunday December 26
0059 GMT (0759 local)
An earthquake, initially measured at 8.9, erupts along two tectonic plates, the Australian and Eurasian plates, which meet just off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake is six miles down along a geological fault on the sea floor. The enormous release of energy from the massive rupture triggers a surge of powerful waves radiating across the Indian Ocean at speeds of up to 500mph.
0100-0130 GMT
The northern tip of Indonesia, which is just 65 miles from the epicentre, and the Indian-controlled Nicobar and Andaman Islands, also close by, are the first to be devastated. Huge waves crash on to the shoreline of the islands and the Aceh province of Indonesia, giving victims no warning. Within half an hour of the quake, reports say the Thai island of Phuket, a popular tourist venue, has also been hit by waves.
0300 GMT
Within two hours, the tsunami has ripped in to the coasts of India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, according to seismologist Dr David Booth, of the British Geological Survey. Waves as high as 12ft are reported in some parts and over the next hour, reports begin to come in of mild tremors along India's east coast and widespread flooding in the south and eastern areas of Sri Lanka, some 1,000 miles from the quake.
0400 GMT
By now the Maldives have fallen under the force of the tsunami as killer waves crash on to the 1,192 coral atolls.
0615 GMT
Tremors are felt in Bangladesh, according to the BBC and reports of the devastation in the Maldives begin to emerge.
0700 GMT
Reports emerge of people being swept from the beaches of Penang in Malaysia.
1330 GMT
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw sends a message of condolence to the countries affected.
1425 GMT
The Queen asks the Foreign Secretary to pass on her condolences as the death toll continues to rise.
1500 GMT
News organisations begin to report that Somalia's coastline in eastern Africa - some 3,000 miles away - has also been hit but it is several hours before the reports are confirmed.
1830 GMT
Aid agencies express fears for Burma as little information is coming out of the nation despite a certainty it must have suffered from the waves. It is again several hours before those fears are confirmed and it is clear people have died.
Monday December 27
Daybreak
A fresh tremor, measuring 6.0, hits Indian islands off the country's eastern coast sending shock across the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal