The uplift of land along the fault line has lowered sea levels in the area. This has had a negative effect on the local fishing economy. Economically valuable coral reefs have been lifted from the sea. The local fishing industry that depends on the reefs has been destroyed leaving fishermen and their families in poverty. The quake has altered the geographical map of the region slightly: Some of the smaller islands southwest of Sumatra have moved southwest by up to 20 m. The northern tip of Sumatra moved southwest by up to 36 m. The earthquake was so massive it caused the earth to pause its rotation by a few milliseconds.
Fig. 11 Banda Aceh in Sumatra before the tsunami, and below, after the tsunami. Note the tall white pillar in the top left of the photographs. It will help to give you an idea of how the coastal landscape changed. The tsunami led to the setting up of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning system.