The Jakarta-based Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) stated that the quake was epicentered at some 105 kilometers away from southwest of Bantul District in Yogyakarta Province, with assessments giving it a focal depth of 10 kilometers.
The agency reported that the trembler, which did not trigger a tsunami, could be felt not only by the residents of Bantul District but also those living in areas, such as Purworejo and Wonogiri in Central Java and Pacitan in East Java.
Located on the Circum-Pacific Belt, also called the Ring of Fire, the meeting points of several tectonic plates where frequent volcanic and seismic activities occur, Indonesia is susceptible to natural disasters, including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Indonesia's earthquake zones spread from the islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali, Lombok, Flores, and Alor to the Banda Sea as well as the islands of Seram, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua.
On July 5, for instance, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck Blitar District in East Java Province.
The tremors of the quake that jolted the town, where the grave of Indonesia's founding father Soekarno is situated, were also felt in the districts of Karangkates, Trenggalek, Nganjuk, Pacitan, and Jember in East Java Province.
Residents in several areas of the provinces of Yogyakarta and Central Java, including Kulonprogo, Bantul, Cilacap, and Wonogiri, also felt the tremors.
On June 22, 2020, a 5.0-magnitude earthquake had also struck Pacitan District, and its tremors could be felt by the local residents and those inhabiting Yogyakarta, Bantul, Sleman, Wonogiri, Tulungagung, and Karangates.
In 2018, the BMKG recorded that Indonesia had borne the impact of 11,577 earthquakes, including several ones causing major casualties, with the figure notably rising from that in 2017.
The BMKG data indicated that 11,577 earthquakes, with varying magnitudes and depths, hit in 2018, while merely 7,172 earthquakes were recorded in 2017.
Hence, it indicates that Indonesia had borne witness to a considerable increase in the number of tectonic earthquakes in 2018.
Several earthquake-related events that hit Indonesia in 2018, including the liquefaction in Palu, a tsunami that struck prior to the issuance of a tsunami warning in Palu, and the Sunda Strait Tsunami, had never occurred before.
In 2004, Indonesia had also borne the brunt of a major catastrophe that claimed hundred thousand lives in Banda Aceh and impacted several other parts of Aceh Province after the areas were rattled by a deadly tsunami following a powerful earthquake. Related news: Series of quakes of over 5.0-magnitude hit Indonesia on Monday
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EDITED BY INE
Translator: Michael S, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
