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A 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit Sulawesi, Indonesia, with no casualties or damage reported. Earlier, West Papua experienced a 6.3 quake on August 12.
Representative image of an earthquake
An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 struck Sulawesi in Indonesia on Sunday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) reported. The quake took place at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), Reuters quoted GFZ as saying.
As of now, authorities have not reported any casualties or damage. The situation is being monitored.
This is the second incident reported this week; on August 12, an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 rattled province West Papua.
The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at about 5:24 pm local time (0824 GMT), with its epicentre located roughly 193 kilometres northwest of the town of Abepura in Papua.
In a post on X, the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said, “EQ of M: 6.3, On: 12/08/2025 13:54:27 IST, Lat: 2.09 S, Long: 138.81 E, Depth: 39 Km, Location: West Papua Indonesia.”
Earlier on August 7, another earthquake of magnitude 4.9 on the Richter Scale occurred at a depth of 106km.
Seismic Challenges Faced By Indonesia
Indonesia is located between two major tectonic plates– the Australian Plate and the newly separated Sunda Plate.
The tectonics of Indonesia is very complex, as it is a meeting point of several tectonic plates. Indonesia is located between two continental plates: the Sahul Shelf and the Sunda Plate, and between two oceanic plates: the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate.
The subduction of the Indian Plate beneath the Sunda Plate formed the volcanic arc in western Indonesia, one of the most seismically active areas on the planet, with a long history of powerful eruptions and earthquakes.
This chain of active volcanoes formed Sumatra, Java, Bali, and the Lesser Sunda Islands, most of which, particularly Java and Bali, emerged within the last 2-3 million years. The Pacific and Sahul plate movements controlled the tectonics of the eastern portion of Indonesia.
Subduction occurs along Southeastern Sumatra and West Java. Sumatra is more active in recent years despite being in the same subduction margin. The reason for the lack of frequent seismic activity over West Java is a problem of time frame and not of tectonic activity. While it may only take a hundred years for a large-scale earthquake to occur off the coast of Sumatra, it may take roughly 500 years off the coast of western Java.
(ANI Inputs)
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
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