Strong quake hits off Southern Sumatra

[News_Editor]

Strong quake hits off Southern Sumatra

2011-01-18 03:18:39 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck off Southern Sumatra in Indonesia on early Tuesday morning, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.

The 6.5-magnitude earthquake at 2.20 a.m. local time (1920 GMT Monday) was centered about 155 kilometers (95 miles) south-southeast of Bengkula on the west coast of Sumatra. It struck about 34.4 kilometers (21.4 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the country's seismological agency.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) measured the strength of the earthquake at 5.8 on the Richter scale, considerably weaker than Indonesia's estimate. The USGS estimated that some 2,000 people could have felt moderate shaking, which would unlikely result in damage.

Indonesia's seismological agency said there was no threat of a tsunami.

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 in Indonesia. The 9.1-magnitude earthquake unleashed a deadly tsunami, striking scores of countries. In all, at least 227,898 people were killed.

Most recently, on October 25, a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck just off the Mentawai Islands off the western coast of Sumatra. As a result, a wall of water killed at least 435 people on the islands and impacted more than 20 villages.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-01-18