Strong 6.1-magnitude earthquake hits off Indonesian island
WETAR, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck north of the Indonesian island of Wetar on early Sunday morning, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The 6.1-magnitude earthquake at 12.44 a.m. local time (1544 GMT Saturday) was centered in the Banda Sea, northwest of the Indonesian island of Wetar in Maluku Province. It struck about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the country's seismological agency.
The earthquake was not strong enough to pose a tsunami threat, and officials said the chance of damage or casualties was low.
Indonesia is on the so-called 'Pacific Ring of Fire', an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent and large earthquakes. Volcanic eruptions also occur frequently in the region.
On December 26, 2004, one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded struck off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The 9.1-magnitude earthquake unleashed a deadly tsunami, striking scores of countries. In all, at least 227,898 people were killed.
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It’s a bit of a relief. Together with two similar out at Tonga it marked 18 hrs unnerving quiet.
Generally when it’s too quiet you can be sure the daily planetary stress is being stored up for release somewhere..
In total, it took me about 50 minutes to find this fantastic post. Thanks a ton.
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