TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A powerful earthquake measuring 7.1 magnitudes on the Richter scale struck off Melonguane, Talaud Islands Regency, North Sulawesi, in the early hours of Thursday, August 12, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) confirmed.

“The quake occurred at 00:46:17 WIB (Western Indonesian Time) and did not trigger a tsunami,” as quoted from the BMKG’s official page in Jakarta, Thursday.

The epicenter was detected in the sea, precisely at 267 kilometers northeast of Melonguane, and at a depth of 51 kilometers.

Based on its magnitude, the tremor was felt at scale IV of the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) in Talaud Islands and at scale II-III in Sangihe and Bitung.

The BMKG identified that MMI scale level IV means the tremor is at a light intensity, can be felt by many people indoors, and causes cracking sounds from windows and doors.

The MMI scale level III, meanwhile, is at a weak intensity. The tremor only causes vibrations indoors similar to the passing of a truck. The scale level II is also at a weak intensity and the vibrations are only felt by a few people.

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ANTARA