The Jakarta Post, 7/14/2007 3:50:47 PM
A 5.1 magnitude earthquake jolts North Sulawesi
MANADO, North Sulawesi province (Antara): A tectonic earthquake measuring 5.1 on
the Richter scale jolted North Sulawesi Province in the wee hours of Saturday, at
around 3:00 a.m. local time
The epicenter of the earthquake was located at 1.37 degrees northern latitude and
126.32 degrees eastern longitude, about 125 kilometers of Bitung town, head of the
Manado Meteorology and Geophysics Agency Subardjo said Saturday.
The depth of the earthquake was 50 km under the sea level located between North
Sulawesi Province and North Maluku Province. However, the tremor was also felt by
residents of Gorontalo Province and Sangihe District.
Residents of Manado, Bitung, Gorontalo and Ternate could feel the earthquake at the
third and fourth level of Mercalli Modified Intensity.
The earthquake did not trigger a tsunami but shocked a number of people.
"So far, we have not received report of damage or casualties," Subarjo said.
Indonesia sits on the seismically active "Pacific Ring of Fire" and experiences
frequent earthquakes as well as tsunamis triggered by underwater earthquakes.
On December 26, 2004, Aceh province and Nias Island (North Sumatra province) were
devastated by a massive earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale and a
subsequent deadly tsunami which killed at least 170,000 people. (**)
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