Cartographic animation - Tsunami

 http://www.globalsecurity.org/eye/andaman-ani2.htm

 

This cartographic animation of a tsunami caused by the Sumatra Earthquake in 2004 is interesting to watch, but it is not really helpful in the moment of the earthquake and tsunami.  However, we can see the pattern of wave distribution over time, without looking at several maps at once.  We can see that it started on a small strip of islands, from which waves spread out both to the east and to the west (the two colors perhaps representing intensity) and eventually crashing onto the shores after about 100 minutes (or more for the coast to the west of the earthquake).