The USGS gave the magnitude of the earthquake as 7.6. The Indonesian authority BMKG estimated the strength at 7.9.
Image: dpa
A strong earthquake shakes Indonesia. Even in Darwin, Australia, 600 kilometers away, the earth is said to have trembled. A tsunami, of which the authorities had warned in the meantime, did not materialize for the time being.
EA severe earthquake in Indonesia triggered tremors over hundreds of kilometers on Monday evening. The USGS gave the magnitude of the earthquake as 7.6. The Indonesian authority BMKG estimated the strength at 7.9. Residents in the northern Australian city of Darwin, around 600 kilometers to the south, felt the effects clearly, as reported by the Australian website news.com.au. Some spoke on social media of the worst shocks in decades. According to this information, the earthquake lasted two minutes.
It happened in the early hours of Tuesday (local time) – Monday evening in central Europe. The Indonesian authorities initially issued a tsunami warning, but feared waves on the coasts did not materialize according to initial reports.
The epicenter was about 350 kilometers northeast of East Timor in the sea. According to the US earthquake observatory, the source was around 95 kilometers below the sea floor. That’s relatively deep. The earthquakes with the greatest destruction usually happen much closer to the surface.
Indonesia is located on the so-called Fire Belt, an arc in the Pacific Ocean where tectonic plates meet. There are numerous volcanoes. There are frequent earthquakes there.
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