www.startnextweek.com - The earthquake that generated the great Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 is estimated to have released the energy of 23000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Giant forces that had been building up deep in the Earth for hundreds of years were released suddenly on December 26, shaking the ground violently and unleashing a series of killer waves that sped across the Indian Ocean at the speed of a jet airliner. By the end of the day more than 150000 people were dead or missing and millions more were homeless in 11 countries, making it perhaps the most destructive tsunami in history.The violent movement of sections of the Earth's crust, known as tectonic plates, displaced an enormous amount of water, sending powerful shock waves in every direction. The earthquake was the result of the sliding of the portion of the Earth's crust known as the India plate under the section called the Burma plate. The trillions of tons of rock that were moved along hundreds of miles caused the planet to shudder with the largest magnitude earthquake in 40 years. Within hours killer waves radiating from the earthquake zone slammed into the coastline of 11 Indian Ocean countries, snatching people out to sea, drowning others in their homes or on beaches, and demolishing property from Africa to Thailand.The Indian Ocean tsunami traveled as much as 3000 miles (nearly 5000 kilometers) to Africa, arriving with sufficient force to kill people and <b>...</b>