Still Standing: Tsunamis won’t wash away Maldives atolls

Tiny coral-reef islands such as those in the Maldives archipelago may appear fragile, but they aren’t easily swept away, a new study shows. The waves of the Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami were devastating to the islands’ inhabitants, but researchers now find that the waves’ geological impact on the islands themselves was minor and had little effect on their long-term stability.