Strong 7.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Eastern Indonesia
Significant Earthquake in Indonesia
Photo: @NewsX/X
Jakarta, April 2: An offshore earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale struck eastern Indonesia early Thursday morning, as reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). This seismic event triggered a warning from a US monitoring agency regarding the potential for “hazardous tsunami waves” within a 1,000-kilometre radius from the epicentre.
The USGS pinpointed the earthquake's epicentre at coordinates 1.20 degrees north latitude and 126.35 degrees east longitude.
According to the China Earthquake Networks Center, the quake occurred at a depth of approximately 30 kilometres.
Initially recorded as a magnitude of 7.8, the tremor hit around 6:48 a.m. local time in the Molucca Sea, the USGS noted.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, based in Hawaii, issued an alert indicating that hazardous tsunami waves could affect coastal regions of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
The USGS reiterated its caution regarding the risk of “hazardous tsunami waves” in areas within the same distance from the epicentre.
Indonesia is situated in one of the most seismically active zones globally, lying along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a massive 40,000-kilometre arc of volcanoes and fault lines resulting from tectonic plate interactions.
This horseshoe-shaped region encircling the Pacific Ocean is responsible for nearly 90 percent of the world's earthquakes and is notorious for its frequent seismic and volcanic activities.
Just last month, on March 3, a 6.1 magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of Sumatra, shaking residents but fortunately causing minimal damage.
This earlier quake originated offshore near the northeastern tip of Sumatra, prompting many locals to flee outdoors in alarm, as the area is accustomed to regular tremors.
Additionally, Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency, known as Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika, recorded the earthquake's magnitude at 6.4, noting it occurred at a depth of 13 kilometres.