Pacific Ocean width at about 5°N latitude, where it stretches approximately from Indonesia to the coast of Colombia—halfway around the world, and more than five times the diameter of the Moon. The lowest known point on Earth—the Mariana Trench—lies below sea level. Its average depth is , putting the total water volume at roughly . Due to the effects of plate tectonics, the Pacific Ocean is currently shrinking by roughly per year on three sides, roughly averaging a year. By contrast, the Atlantic Ocean is increasing in size. Along the Pacific Ocean's irregular western margins lie many seas, the largest of which
Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on India tsunami alert across India's coastal areas, triggering a panic which required clarifications. Note 1: Taken from the latest report at National Disaster Management Division's site. Effect of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on India According to official estimates in India, 10,136 people were killed and hundreds of thousands made homeless when a tsunami triggered by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake near the Indonesian island of Sumatra struck the southern coast on 26 December 2004. The earthquake registered 9.1–9.3 M and was the largest in five decades. It was followed by strong aftershocks on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The death