6.0-magnitude earthquake strikes off the Indonesian coast

The US Geological Survey reported a 6.0-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island early Monday. The epicentre of the quake was 48 kilometres (30 miles) south-southeast of Singkil in Aceh province, at a depth of 48 kilometres, according to the USGS.

It occurred around 6:30 am local time (2330 GMT) and there were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage, nor was there a tsunami alert.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency of Indonesia (BMKG) assigned the quake a magnitude of 6.2, while the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre received witness testimony that the quake was “felt in Medan,” about 120 kilometres north-northeast of the epicentre.

Because of its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where tectonic plates collide, Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity. A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck the populous West Java province on the main island of Java on November 21, killing 602 people. The majority of the victims were killed when buildings collapsed or landslides triggered.

On December 26, 2004, one of Sumatra’s deadliest earthquakes occurred, triggering an Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 230,000 people, including victims from Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.

The powerful 9.1-magnitude quake produced 30-metre (100-foot) waves on the Sumatran island of Banda Aceh.