Jakarta: A strong earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck Indonesia’s West Papua region on Tuesday, according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS).
The quake occurred at a depth of 39 km, with coordinates 2.09°S and 138.81°E, hitting at 13:54:27 IST. No immediate reports of casualties or significant damage have been released.
This seismic event follows an earlier 4.9 magnitude earthquake on August 7 in Northern Sumatra, which occurred at a depth of 106 km.
Indonesia sits at the confluence of multiple tectonic plates — the Australian Plate, the Sunda Plate, the Pacific Plate, and the Philippine Sea Plate making it one of the most seismically active regions in the world. The subduction of the Indian Plate beneath the Sunda Plate has created a chain of active volcanoes and a long history of powerful quakes.
While Sumatra has seen heightened seismic activity in recent years, experts note that areas like West Java experience longer gaps sometimes up to 500 years between major earthquakes despite being on the same tectonic boundary.
Authorities are monitoring the situation closely, and residents have been advised to remain alert for aftershocks.
