5.3 Magnitude Quake Hits West Java
March 20, 2011
Bandung. 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the southern parts of West Java on Sunday, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) said. There was no immediate report of casualties or material damage.
The epicenter of the quake which struck at 08.20 a.m. was in the sea 113 km southwest of West Java's Sukabumi town at a depth of 10 km, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said in its official website.
The quake was not significant enough to trigger a tsunami, according to the agency.
"The quake was felt by people living in Sukabumi, Garut, Tasikmalaya, and Cianjur," Pepen Efendi, spokesman of the agency's office in Bandung, capital of West Java province, said on Sunday.
He said the epicenter of Sunday's quake was found in the meeting point of very active Indoaustronesia and Indoeuronesia plates which triggered a number of quakes in recent years.
"But the location is different from the epicenter of the quake which struck off the Tasikmalaya coast (a few years ago)," he said.
Sunday's quake was the latest in a series of quakes to hit the southern part of West Java over the past few months. A powerful quake last hit southern West Java on September 9, 2009, causing considerable damage in a number of areas.
zo 20 maa 2011 - 16:52