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As Curt Peterson, professor of geology, surveyed the reach of the tsunami that hit southeast India he couldn’t help but compare it to the geological deposits he’s observed on the Oregon coast. There, sand deposits—the telltale signs of a long-ago tsunami—appear three times as far inland as those in India, where the loss of life and property now gives new significance to the possible threat to Oregon’s coastal communities.

Peterson was part of an international team of scientists allowed into India just a week after the December 2004 disaster. His team found that while the waves rose only 9 to 12 feet above mean tide level, they nonetheless proved catastrophic to the many homes and businesses built only a couple feet above sea level.

The southeast Asian tsunami, caused by a subduction zone earthquake in the Indian Ocean, is of particular interest to Peterson as that region’s geology is markedly similar to the Pacific Northwest. By studying the wave’s impact, Peterson and other scientists can further hone computer models of future tsunami paths in Oregon and beyond, helping to possibly avert such devastation.