"Until 2:10 p.m. local time, BMKG's monitoring showed that there were 10 aftershocks with 3.8 to 5.3 (magnitude)," Head of the BMKG’s Earthquake and Tsunami Center Daryono said here.
Based on its epicenter and hypocenter, the earthquake occurred as a result of the deformation of the Maluku Sea's plate, he informed.
"The source mechanism analysis results show that the earthquakes had a strike-slip mechanism," he elaborated.
The agency reported on Wednesday that the Maluku Sea region was rocked by a tectonic earthquake. Based on an analysis, the earthquake’s magnitude was updated to 7.0.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located 124 km south of Melonguane City, North Sulawesi, at 2.80 degrees north latitude and 127.03 degrees east longitude at a depth of 71 km in the sea.
The tremors shook Talaud Islands, Sangihe Islands, Sitaro Islands, and Tidore, with an intensity of III–IV on the MMI scale, that is, they felt like a truck was passing by.
The quake was also felt in Minahasa, Manado, North Minahasa, Bitung, Ternate, Sofifi, East Halmahera, Southeast Minahasa, South Minahasa, East Bolaang Mongondow, South Bolaang Mongondow, West Halmahera, North Halmahera, and Bolaang Mongondow.
In Banggai Islands, the tremors had an intensity of III on the MMI scale, while in Gorontalo city, they were felt at II MMI. The modeling results showed that the earthquake had no potential to trigger a tsunami.
The BMKG reminded people to stay calm and disregard information that was not verified.
Before returning to their homes, they were advised to must make sure that the structures were sufficiently earthquake resistant, or that there was no damage due to earthquake vibrations that could compromise the stability of the building.
People were also asked to only pay heed to official information from the agency's official handles such as @infoBMKG on Instagram and Twitter, its websites (http://www.bmkg.go.id or inatews.bmkg.go.id), Telegram (https://t.me/InaTEWS_BMKG), or wrs-bmkg or infobmkg on IOS and Android mobile apps .
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Translator: Devi N S R, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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