North Sulawesi Hit by Earthquake Again

Sumber :

VIVAnews - A 6.1 magnitude tectonic earthquake hit Melonguane, North Sulawesi early Monday at 00:45:24 a.m. According to the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology and Geophysics (BMG) the quake happened at 3.45 north latitude and 126.72 east longitude.

The epicenter of the quake was located 125 kilometers southeast of Melonguane and 137 kilometers northeast of Tahuna, North Sulawesi, with depth of 10 kilometers. The quake did not trigger a tsunami.

According to the head of earthquake division of BMG, Suharjono, the quake that occurred early this morning is a part of the 7.4 magnitude earthquake's aftershocks that struck North Sulawesi on Thursday Feb. 12.

"The quake that happened on day break was still a part of the 7.4 magnitude happened earlier. But it didn't have the exact epicenter," said Suharjono to VIVAnews on Monday Feb. 22.

The magnitude of 6.1 is not significant according to Suharjono, although it is predicted that the aftershocks from the 7.4 magnitude quake will be around 5 magnitude.

He also added that there will still be aftershocks. "In east Indonesia, the tectonic condition is more fractured. There will still be extrication to reach the balance," said Suharjono.

Suharjono explained that east Indonesia's tectonic condition can be compared with an auto glass. When it is struck by hard objects, there will be more fragments from the auto glass than other types of glass, for example a house's window glass. "When it is broken, there will be a lot of fragments, and it resembles to the tectonic condition. It is more fractured than other types of glass," he added.

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Translated by: Ariyantri E. Tarman