Royal Navy Checks Tsunami Disaster Epicentre

A British naval ship surveyed the ocean floor Monday near the epicenter of the quake that triggered killer waves across Asia, checking the stability of tectonic plates as countries consider a tsunami-warning system for the region. About 150 kilometers (90 miles) west of Sumatra, the British naval vessel HMS Scott - H131 was on the second day of a six-day mission of high-tech sonar readings to assess the stability of the region's tectonic plates - moving pieces of the Earth's crust. The ship was "re-mapping the sea bottom, where we believe there's been quite a lot of shift'' since the magnitude-9 quake that triggered the tsunami on Dec. 26, said Wing Cmdr. John Turner, the British defense attache in Aceh. HMS Scott - H131