Indonesia Earthquake at 7.2 Strikes 'Violently,' Shakes Northern Australia
An Indonesia earthquake measured an extremely strong 7.2 on the Richter scale Monday, according to reports. Fortunately, the quake struck off the coast of one of the Indonesian islands, not on the heavily populated archipelago.
The Indonesia earthquake hit about 147 miles (236 kilometers) northwest of Saumlaki in the Tanimbar chain, according to reports. Although the depth was reported to be 96 miles (155 kilometers) underneath the ocean's surface, no tsunami approached land. The earthquake was too deep beneath the surface to cause major tsunami damage, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The quake was closest to the Indonesian islands, striking at 1:53 a.m. local time Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The strength of the trembling could be felt as far away as Australia, where one resident said the shaking lasted nearly three minutes, according to ABC.net.au.
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"It has been felt over several hundred kilometers of Australia's coastline," Dr. Mark Leonard, Geoscience Australia senior seismologist, told TheAustralian.com.au. He also said the quake was the strongest in the Banda Arc- part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, notorious for frequent volcanoes and earthquakes- in seven years.
Other residents of Darwin, Australia chronicled the incident via social media networks, local radio stations, or news outlets.
"The bed was really shaking violently, all my sliding doors rattling and windows were rattling and the wardrobe was sliding violently and rattling," one woman told the ABC. "It just seemed to go on and on and on, and then when it died down it even had another violent shudder again."
The earthquake and aftershock, which woke many from their beds, "certainly got the adrenaline running," she admitted.
Seismologists and geologists like Dr. Mark Leonard agree that the 7.2 quake was just proof that calamity could strike "at any time."
No injury or damage reports were available at the time of this report.
