THE’Indonesia was shaken by a magnitude earthquake 6.5 at 7:48 Italian (2.48pm local time) on Thursday 16 October. THE’epicenter is located by the USGS a 35km deep inland near the coast a 200km northwest of Jayapura in the province of Papua. At the moment there are no reports of damage to property or people and no tsunami warning has been issued. Jayapura, formerly known as Hollandia, is the capital of the Indonesian province.
Located on the northern coast of New Guinea (locally called Irian Jaya), it is one of the island’s main urban centers with a population of approximately 200,000. THE’Indonesian archipelago and the Papua New Guinea they are highly seismic areas due to the presence of the Australian and Pacific plates, whose border extends for over 4,000 km and is dominated by subduction of the Australian plate towards the north. Yesterday Indonesia was affected by yet another volcano eruption Lewotobi Laki-Lakiwhich created a 10 km high column of ash, testimony to how this region, being on the Pacific Ring of Fireis constantly subject to intense seismic and volcanic activities.
This area is characterized by intense seismic activity linked to subduction, with 13 earthquakes of magnitude greater than 7.5 recorded since 1900. Among these, an event of magnitude 8.1 in 2007 he spawned one tsunami which caused at least 40 victims. Further east, at the New Britain Trench, subduction continues to generate strong earthquakes, including three historic magnitude 8.1 earthquakes.
At the western end, the plates converge causing an uplift of the New Guinea highlands. This region has recorded 22 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 7.5 since 1900. The strongest earthquake was a magnitude 8.2 event in 1996 in Papua province, Indonesia, which caused 166 deaths.
