BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) – The first images of the seabed that was rocked by the earthquake that triggered Asia’s catastrophic tsunami revealed huge ruptures spanning several miles along the Indian Ocean’s floor.

The United States, meanwhile, said it was preparing to more than double its pledge for tsunami relief to $950 million.

The images of the seabed were from a British naval ship collecting data off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island that could be used to help governments develop a tsunami early warning system for the Indian Ocean region.

“There are features which we would think are something like the Grand Canyon would look,” Tim Henstock, a scientist aboard the HMS Scott, told BBC News. “You can see huge piles of mud maybe a few hundred meters thick.”

The images show “slide scars” more than six miles wide resulting from the 9.0 magnitude quake on Dec. 26, the world’s biggest in 40 years.

President Bush said he would ask Congress for $950 million – up from $350 committed for tsunami relief so far – a pledge that would put the United States atop of the list of donors to the disaster.

Australia has promised $810 million, followed by Germany’s $660 million, the European Commission’s $624 million and Japan’s $540 million.

“We will use these resources to provide assistance and to work with the affected nations on rebuilding vital infrastructure that re-energizes economies and strengthens societies,” Bush said in a statement.

Aftershocks have rattled the region since the Dec. 26 quake that spawned the tsunami, killing more than 160,000 people in 11 Indian Ocean nations.

Tens of thousands of people are still missing following the December disaster, though officials say it’s too early to add them to the toll.

After weeks of keeping the names private, police in Sweden released a list of its 565 missing citizens. It made harrowing reading: A 9-month-old boy, entire families and nearly 100 children younger than 13.

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