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...more than 35 million people could be affected if a powerful earthquake struck along the boundary between the North American and Caribbean tectonic plates. At least 10 significant tsunamis have been recorded in the region since 1492, six of which are known to have caused loss of life...

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. . the 26 December quake had resulted in the eastward movement of the Indian coastal region by a few millimetres.

At the same time, it had caused the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to move westwards by between one metre and 20m.

In the Indonesian island of Sumatra, he said the movement was as much as 20m.

. . the earthquake had increased stress on the fault system separating India and Indonesia and heightened the threat of another big earthquake.

Dr Gahlaut made his comments after a one-month survey of the Earth's surface in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

. . stress on the Sumatra fault system has increased since the 26 December event.

Our correspondent said this indicated that another big earthquake was possible in the region.

But Dr Gahlaut explained that no one could say how big this earthquake would be and when exactly it would come.

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