An earthquake of magnitude 4.2 jolted Jayapura District in the eastern Indonesian province of Papua on Sunday morning, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The quake’s epicenter was located around 33 kilometers (km) away from northwest of the district at a depth of 14 km, according to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
The earthquake that struck at 04:07 a.m. Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB) was located at the coordinates of 2.42 degrees south latitude and 140.15 degrees east longitude, according to the agency.
The earthquake was felt at Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) II in the Jayapura neighborhood area.
According to the agency, an earthquake of MMI II can be felt by some people and causes hanging light articles to shake.
Earthquakes regularly strike various parts of Indonesia since the country lies on the Circum-Pacific Belt, also known as the Ring of Fire, where several tectonic plates meet and cause frequent volcanic and seismic activities.
Akin to several other provinces in the archipelago, Papua is also prone to earthquakes. Strong earthquakes have repeatedly jolted certain parts of Papua over the past decade.
On January 13, 2021, for instance, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake jolted southeast of Waropen District in Papua, though it did not have the potential to generate a tsunami.
On January 18, 2020, a 6.0-magnitude tectonic earthquake rattled the districts of Jayapura and Sarmi in this eastern Indonesian province.
One of the deadliest earthquakes to have hit Papua was in Serui of Yapen Island and other coastal areas in which several local residents lost their lives and numerous houses were damaged.
One of the earthquakes that caused serious damages to residents’ houses and public facilities in Indonesia occurred in Sumur Sub-district, Pandeglang District, Banten Province, on January 14, 2022.
This recent 6.6-magnitude quake signaled the potential of a Sunda Strait megathrust earthquake that could reach 8.7 in magnitude, according to the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).
The quake was a reminder that Indonesia was in a zone vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis, BRIN engineer Widjo Kongko said recently.
Source: Antara News