6.4 magnitude quakes strikes Indonesia, tsunami alert issued briefly
A 6.4 magnitude quake shook eastern Indonesia this morning. A tsunami alert was issued, but it stayed active briefly. There was no major damage or injury reported. Locals said they felt the tremors "mildly" for 2-3 seconds, and there was no panic. Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a hotbed of seismic activity, and witnesses quakes frequently, most harmless.
Quake struck 171km deep at a sparsely-inhabited area under sea
The epicenter of today's quake was in a sparsely populated area of the Banda Sea. It struck deep at 171km below the earth's surface. In the immediate aftermath, the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) had issued a tsunami alert. But a second bulletin shortly after said there was "no threat to countries in the Indian Ocean."
Papua New Guinea still feeling aftershocks of February quake
The Ring of Fire is a 40,000km horseshoe-shaped region consisting over 452 volcanoes. Nearly 90% of all earthquakes are felt along this zone. In 2004, a 9.3 magnitude quake in Sumatra triggered a tsunami, killing 2,20,000 people in several countries around the Indian Ocean. Papua New Guinea, on the east of Indonesia, is still feeling aftershocks after a 7.5 quake on February 26.
