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Quake largest in four decades
The quake, 8.9 on the Richter scale, is fifth largest since 1900.
The earthquake that struck Indonesia today releasing devastating tsunamis across swathes of Asia was the largest in four decades and showed a rare and unpredictable natural phenomenon in action.
The quake, which measured 8.9 on the Richter scale according to the US Geological Survey, was the most immense since a 9.2-scale quake hit Alaska in 1964 and the fifth strongest since the beginning of the 20th century.
Wong Wing-tak, senior scientific officer at the Hong Kong Observatory, said the phenomenon, while mercifully rare, was unpredictable, leaving authorities largely powerless to mitigate against its effects.
"Earthquakes likes this, although rare, will occur again. This is part of nature. You cannot predict when and where it will occur again," he said.
"An earthquake that is over 8.0 on the Richter scale usually happens once a year but to reach 8.9 is very rare," he said.
The only quake to register a higher magnitude than the 1964 tremor in the 20th century was one that measured 9.5 in Chile in 1960.
Despite a death toll already surpassing 3,000 and expected to rise steeply, the intensity of the quake was not alone to blame for the number of fatalities.
"The extent of the damage it can cause often depends on where it happens and the structure of buildings," Wong said.
Exactly a year before today's quake more than 30,000 people were killed in a 6.7-scale quake in the Iranian city of Bam, where sloppy builders were blamed for the high toll.
