Saturday, 17 October 2009A strong earthquake shook the Indonesian island of Java on Friday, shortly before 5 p.m. local time, making this the sixth major earthquake to strike the region in the past six months. The U.S. Geological Survey originally estimated the magnitude of Friday’s quake to be 6.5, although it was later declared to be 6.1.
While the quake caused a mass evacuation in downtown Jakarta, initial damage seems to be minimal. It was relatively short-lived and was not nearly as devastating as the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that rattled the city on 2 September. The region was also affected by strong quakes on September 30-October 1. Padang, the capital of West Sumatra bore most of the impact, and more than 1,000 are believed to have died after the earthquake destroyed many of the city’s buildings.
The epicenter was pinpointed to be in the Sunda Strait, the body of water between Java and Sumatra that lies roughly 185 km south of Jakarta. Indonesia is located on the “Ring of Fire” – a highly active crescent of fault lines in the Pacific Basin that frequently produces earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
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Saturday, 17 October 2009
Safiye Ozkan (JTW)
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