The figure rose as compared to 518 earthquakes during the same period in 2020.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded a total of 646 earthquakes of varying magnitudes and depths had hit Indonesia last month.

"The figure rose as compared to 518 earthquakes during the same period in 2020," Coordinator of the BMKG Earthquake and Tsunami Mitigation Section Daryono stated here on Tuesday.

The number of earthquakes in January 2020 is higher than the average of 555 earthquakes for January, he remarked.

Most earthquakes in January 2021 had a magnitude of below 5.0, he pointed out.

The BMKG recorded 619 earthquakes, with a magnitude of below 5.0, and 27 earthquakes having a magnitude of above 5.0 in January 2021.

Daryono noted that 85 of the 646 earthquakes could be felt in January 2021 as compared to 54 in January 2020.

Almost daily, earthquakes had hit Indonesia last month. Just on January 14, 2021, the country had recorded eight earthquakes, he stated.

Three of the 646 earthquakes in January 2021 are classified as disastrous. One of the disastrous earthquakes was a 4.9-magnitude earthquake that destroyed several houses in Morowali, Central Sulawesi, on January 4, 2021.

The two other disastrous earthquakes were a 6.2-magnitude earthquake that claimed 105 lives and caused damage to thousands of houses in the districts of Mamuju and Majene in West Sulawesi and a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that destroyed several houses in Talaud, North Sulawesi.

Based on the seismicity map, the BMKG had identified earthquake-active zones in January 2021, including Aceh, Nias, Bengkulu, Lampung, Lombok, Sumbawa, Sumba, West Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, Gorontalo, Maluku Sea, and Seram.

Earthquake activities in the active zone may continue until February 2021, but they can also end and move to other areas.

"With increasing earthquake activities in January 2021 and earthquake active zones, we call on the public to remain calm and not to panic. However, they should remain vigilant," he stated.
Related news: Quakes predicted in W Sulawesi in 2019: BNPB

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Translator: Desi Purnamawati/Suharto
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