Magnitude 7.4 earthquake rattles western Indonesia
Posted by JAC on 5/9/2010, 7:42 am


An earthquake of magnitude 7.4 has struck offshore near the Indonesian island of Sumatra, near Aceh province.

The quake struck 214km (133 miles) south of Aceh's capital of Banda Aceh, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

A local tsunami alert was issued and later lifted by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

The site is very near that of 2004's 9.2 magnitude earthquake. About 220,000 people were killed in the Indian Ocean tsunami the quake triggered.

The epicentre of the latest quake was at a depth of 61.4km, about 66km (41 miles) south-west of Meulaboh district, the USGS said.

The district, and other parts of Aceh, were devastated in the 26 December 2004 earthquake.

Ring of Fire

The quake hit at 1259 (0559 GMT). Local media reported some houses were damaged and power lines knocked down, Associated Press news agency said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center lifted its tsunami watch several hours after the earthquake.

"Sea level readings indicate that a significant tsunami was not generated," the Hawaii-based centre said in a statement on its website.

"Therefore, the tsunami watch issued by this center is now cancelled."

The USGS earlier said it believed there was no threat of a destructive, widespread tsunami but the possibility of a local tsunami existed.

Indonesia is located on the volatile Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of tectonic activity girdling the Pacific Ocean that triggers earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Aceh is on the north-western tip of Sumatra, one of Indonesia's main islands, and is frequently rocked by earthquakes.

One last year near Padang in West Sumatra province killed more than 1,000 people.

About 170,000 people were killed in Aceh from the 2004 earthquake and the tsunami it launched.

The waves spread across the Indian Ocean to cause death and destruction as far away as Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand.






JAKARTA, Indonesia - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.4 rattled Indonesia's North Sumatra province Sunday, prompting a brief local tsunami watch, knocking out power and damaging some homes, officials said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the afternoon quake hit 135 miles (220 kilometers) southeast of Banda Aceh at a depth at 38 miles (61 kilometers). Indonesia and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu issued a tsunami watch for the area, but both canceled their warnings less than 90 minutes later.

Fauzi, chief of Indonesia's meteorology agency, said the closest town to the epicenter was Meulaboh, where a small "tsunami wave" just 7.9 inches (20 centimeters) high was detected by a buoy off the coast.

Fauzi, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, said the official tsunami watch had been canceled.

Local media reports said the quake caused panic in many parts of Aceh - which was hit hard by the earthquake that triggered the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed 230,000 people - and in neighboring North Sumatra province.

Lt. Col. Widodo, chief of West Aceh police in Meulaboh, told MetroTV that many residents remained outside in the streets for fear of another quake.

"But up until now, there is no indication of damages or casualties," said Widodo.

Minor damage to the control tower of the Cut Nyak Dhien airport near Meulaboh - including broken windows and cracks on the wall - did not disrupt airport operations, said Transportation Ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan.

Activities at Meulaboh seaport were also briefly disturbed as workers fled to higher ground after hearing the tsunami alert.

"But all things have returned to normal now," Ervan said.

Riswan, local government secretary on Simeulue island, said the quake damaged some houses and caused a power outage, but phones were still working.

Indonesia rests on a series of fault lines that make the archipelago nation one of the most world's most earthquake-prone. A quake last year killed more than 1,000 people on Sumatra, but a 7.7 quake last month in the same area caused only minor damage.
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7.2Mw Quake Northern Sumatra - JAC, 5/9/2010, 7:35 am
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