Tasikmalaya, Mentawai and Nabire quakes connected: agency

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) says the three major quakes that rattled West Sumatra, West Java and Papua in the past two days were connected to one another.

Head of the BMKG’s seismologic center, Suhardjono, told The Jakarta Post Thursday evening that the epicentres of the three quakes were located on the meeting points of three major tectonic plates – the Eurasian, the Indo-Australian and the Pacific – prompting quakes in other connected points.

“The meeting points of the three giant plates have the potential to release energy through quakes. A quake will be followed by other quake until a balance of energy is reached,” Suhardjono said.

“As long as the earth still rotates, the bowels of the earth will keep producing convection currents, and the currents will continually prompt the movement of the plates.

“We in Indonesia have to be aware of this as we live on top of three plates,” he said.

On Wednesday morning, a quake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale hit Mentawai, West Sumatra. Several people have been injured but no casualties have been reported.

Later on the same day, a powerful 7.3-magnitude quake, centred off the coast Tasikmalaya, West Java, struck the province; killing dozens and injuring hundreds more.

On Thursday morning, a third, 5.3-magnitude quake rocked Nabire, Papua, wounding dozens.

Suhardjono added that as of Thursday evening 13 aftershocks had occurred around Tasikmalaya.