The transect is located about 16 km southwest of Banda
Aceh and about 3 km south of Lhoknga, in a small valley
between two headlands of the Raba Fm. (Bennett et
al., 1980), a sequence of interbedded Mesozoic cherty limestones
and shales (Fig. 2(a)–(c)). The headlands stand about
35 m above the valley at the coast (Figs. 1(b) and 2(d)). The
beach between the two headlands was relatively narrow,
and was backed by loosely cemented Pleistocene carbonate
gravel containing abundant coral fragments and shells.
A small resort (the Seaside Resort Hotel) occupied most of
the valley.
The tsunami here reached flow depths of more than 25
m, and flowed at speeds estimated up to 10 m/s (Kamataki
and Nishimura, 2005). The number of waves that struck
the area, and how soon after the earthquake the tsunami
arrived are not known, because no eyewitnesses survived.
However, in Banda Aceh, the closest location where the
survey team interviewed eyewitnesses, three large waves
struck the coast; it seems plausible that this area was also
so struck. Flow was probably focused as it rushed between
the headlands, as judged from valley-mouth increases in
observed flow depths (Fig. 2(d)).