Indonesia Experiences Three Earthquakes; One Fatality in North Sumatra
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Synopsis
On March 18, Indonesia experienced three earthquakes, including a 5.5-magnitude tremor in North Sumatra that resulted in one death. The quakes also affected Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara, but no tsunami warning was issued.
Key Takeaways
- Three earthquakes struck Indonesia on March 18.
- A 5.5-magnitude quake hit North Sumatra, causing one death.
- Earlier quakes in Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara were also recorded.
- No tsunami warning was issued following the events.
- Indonesia is prone to seismic activity due to its location.
Jakarta, March 18 (NationPress) Three earthquakes occurred in Indonesia on Tuesday, including a 5.5-magnitude tremor that hit North Sumatra province in the morning, along with two earlier quakes in Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara, as reported by the country's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency.
The 5.5-magnitude quake impacted North Sumatra province at 5:22 a.m. local time. Its epicenter was found to be 17 km southeast of North Tapanuli Regency at a depth of 10 km.
According to Sri Wahyuni Pancasilawati, head of the emergency, equipment, and logistics unit of North Sumatra Provincial Disaster Management Agency, "One individual lost their life, and another sustained injuries. Numerous structures and a roadway were significantly damaged, rendering the road unusable for transport." She also mentioned that risk assessments are currently in progress.
Prior to this, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck Maluku province at 00:32 a.m. local time on Tuesday. The agency had initially reported its magnitude as 6.0 before correcting it.
Just ten minutes later, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake occurred in East Nusa Tenggara.
No tsunami warning was issued following the three quakes, as the tremors were not anticipated to create significant waves.
Indonesia, an archipelagic nation with 127 active volcanoes, regularly experiences earthquakes due to its position within the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire.
Some of these earthquakes have been extraordinarily powerful, such as the magnitude 9.1 quake off the west coast of Sumatra that triggered the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. This quake occurred along the Java-Sumatra subduction zone, where the Australian tectonic plate moves beneath Indonesia’s Sunda plate.
However, to the east of Java, the subduction zone has become "jammed" by the Australian continental crust, which is significantly thicker and more buoyant than the oceanic crust located beneath Java and Sumatra.
Because of the numerous shallow earthquakes along the plate boundaries, Indonesia is especially susceptible to tsunamis. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami claimed over 165,000 lives along the Sumatra coast, and in 2006, a tsunami affected the southern coast of Java, resulting in over 600 fatalities.
