Jakarta – According to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency, a shallow earthquake with an updated magnitude of 6.7 jolted South Nias District, North Sumatra Province, on Monday morning owing to plate subduction (BMKG).
“The source mechanism study suggests that the earthquake has a thrust fault mechanism,” said Bambang Setiyo Prayitno, Head of BMKG’s Earthquake and Tsunami Center, in a statement issued here on Monday.
The epicenter of the tremor, which occurred at 4:09 a.m. Western Indonesian Standard Time (WIB), was at 0.71 degrees south latitude and 98.50 degrees east longitude, at a depth of 25 kilometers.
MMI IV shocks were felt at Padang City, West Sumatra Province, as well as Siberut Island, South Nias District, and Gunungsitoli City, North Sumatra Province.
People in Padang Panjang City, Bukittinggi City, West Pasaman District, Tuapejat Village, and Pariaman City in West Sumatra Province reported feeling tremors at MMI III.
Meanwhile, Dhamasraya District, Payakumbuh City, South Pesisir District, Batusangkar City, Padang Pariaman District, and Solok City in West Sumatra Province, Kerinci District in Jambi Province, and South Tapanuli District in North Sumatra Province also received MMI II shocks.
MMI IV shocks were felt by numerous inhabitants indoors during the day, while MMI III tremors were perceived as though vehicles were passing by some distance away, and MMI II vibrations caused hanging light things to sway.
“The modeling results reveal that the earthquake has no potential to cause a tsunami,” Prayitno said.
He stated that as of 5:10 WIB, the BMKG had registered four aftershocks, the greatest of which was magnitude 6.0.
The agency urged the people to be calm, not to be swayed by misleading information about the earthquake, and to avoid broken or damaged structures.
The shocks were felt for roughly a minute, according to the South Nias Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).
