Cartographers Redrawing Maps After Tsunami

One of the strange consequences of the tragic tsunami disaster in Indonesia is the fact that the ocean bottom in the region has changed so dramatically that cartographers will have to re-map the area. Palau Batu Tengkorak, or "Skull Island," happens to have been located in this very area, so some of the data gathered might turn up interesting new information about the habitat of Carl Denham's beast.

KATHERINE PFLEGER SHRADER
Associated Press 1/6/05
WASHINGTON - Water depths in parts of the Straits of Malacca, one of the world's busiest shipping channels off the coast of Sumatra, reached about 4,000 feet before last month's tsunami. Now, reports are coming in of just 100 feet - too dangerous for shipping, if proved true.

A U.S. spy imagery agency is working around the clock to gather information, warn mariners and begin the time-consuming task of recharting altered coastlines and ports throughout the region.

Officials at the Bethesda, Md.-based National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency say the efforts will take international cooperation over months, if not years.

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