The largest magnitude of the aftershocks was 5.7 M, while the smallest was 2.5 M.Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded that as of Saturday at 12 p.m. Western Indonesian Standard Time (WIB), 33 aftershocks occurred following the 6.6-magnitude (M) earthquake that struck Banten Province on Friday.
"The largest magnitude of the aftershocks was recorded at 5.7 M, while the smallest was 2.5 M," Daryono, the Earthquake and Tsunami Mitigation Coordinator at the agency, informed via a text message received here on Saturday.
It was a shallow and destructive earthquake, although it did not trigger a tsunami.
The earthquake, which was centered at 132 kilometers (km) southwest of Pandeglang District, Banten Province, at a depth of 40 km, was caused by a thrust fault due to strong pressure when the Indo-Australian Plate subducted under the Sunda Plate.
Related news: Magnitude 6.6 quake striking Banten damaged 1,231 homes
This type of quake is termed as an intraslab earthquake that is able to radiate a larger and stronger ground motion.
Hence, it was the reason behind the tremors being felt across South Sumatra Province to West Java Province.
The shocks were also strongly sensed in Jakarta due to the local site effect as a result of soft and thick soil layers underneath the region. The soil type triggered the resonance of earthquake waves that amplified ground shaking.
The strong shocks were also triggered by a long period vibration phenomenon due to a strong earthquake whose source was quite far away.
Daryono noted that the earthquake was similar to the 6.1-M quake that hit the southern part of East Java Province on April 10, 2021. The source of both intraslab earthquakes is within the Indo-Australian Plate.
According to a recent report, Head of the Banten Provincial Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) Nana Suryana stated that no casualties were reported in the disaster.
However, it was confirmed that 1,231 houses and 43 public facilities were damaged in 159 villages in 46 sub-districts across the districts of Lebak, Pandeglang, and Serang.
Related news: Banten's 6.6M quake damages some buildings in Lebak district
Related news: Banten's 6.6M quake damages some buildings in Lebak district
Translator: Desi Purnamawati, Uyu Liman
Editor: Suharto
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