Strong Earthquake Jolts Indonesia's West Sumatra

[george]

Strong earthquake jolts Indonesia's West Sumatra

JAKARTA: -- An undersea earthquake registering 6.3 on the Richter scale struck the western coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra Monday morning, but there were no immediate reports of injury or damage, the Indonesian seismologist agency said.

The quake struck at 9:37 am (0237 GMT) and was centred in the Indian Ocean, 157 kilometres south-west of Painan in West Sumatra province, Indonesia's National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said.

It occurred 34 kilometres beneath the seabed, but the statement did not say if the quake formed a tsunami threat.

A series of strong earthquakes rattled the western coast of Sumatra last week, prompting government authorities to issue brief tsunami warnings. The quakes killed at least three people and destroyed dozens of homes.

On September 12, a powerful 8.4-magnitude earthquake hit the western coast of Sumatra, killing more than 20 people and injuring scores of others. More than 50 aftershocks and various tsunami warnings followed the initial quake.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago nation, sits atop the Pacific Ocean's Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.

--DPA 2008-03-03

[Prakanong]

I did not feel it today but last weeks was felt by all of us.

As pointed out in the OP there have been quite a few recently and siesmologists quoted in the newspaper are saying its building up to a big one.