A 5.3-magnitude Earthquake Jolts East Java's Blitar

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A 5.3-magnitude earthquake had struck Blitar District in East Java Province on Sunday at around 02:09 a.m. local time but it did not potentially trigger tsunami.

The earthquake's epicenter was located at about 129 kilometers away from southeast of Blitar at a depth of 79 kilometers, according to the Jakarta-based Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

The tremors of the quake that joltd the town where the grave of Indonesia's founding father Soekarno is situated were also felt by those in the districts of Karangkates, Trenggalek, Nganjuk, Pacitan, and Jember in East Java Province.

The tremors could also be felt by those residing in several areas of Yogyakarta and Central Java Provinces, including Kulonprogo, Bantul, Cilacap, and Wonogiri.

Located on the Circum-Pacific Belt, also called the Ring of Fire, the meeting points of several tectonic plates where frequent volcanic and seismic activities occur, Indonesia is susceptible to natural disasters, including earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Indonesia's earthquake zones spread from the islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali, Lombok, Flores, and Alor to the Banda Sea as well as the islands of Seram, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua.

On June 22, 2020, a 5.0-magnitude earthquake had struck Pacitan District in East Java Province, but the tremors were not only felt by the local residents but also those inhabiting Yogyakarta, Bantul, Sleman, Wonogiri, Tulungagung, and Karangates.

On Feb 26, 2018, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake had rattled the Boven Digoel District's areas in Papua Province, which wrecked several buildings, including a mosque in Mindiptana Sub-district.

In 2018, the BMKG recorded that Indonesia had borne the impact of 11,577 earthquakes, including several ones causing major casualties, with the figure notably increasing from that in 2017.

The BMKG data indicated that 11,577 earthquakes, with varying magnitudes and depths, hit in 2018, while merely 7,172 earthquakes were recorded in 2017.

This indicates that Indonesia had borne witness to a substantial increase in the number of tectonic earthquakes in 2018.

Several earthquake-related events that hit Indonesia in 2018, including the liquefaction in Palu, a tsunami that struck prior to the issuance of a tsunami warning in Palu, and the Sunda Strait Tsunami, had never occurred before.

In 2004, Indonesia had also borne the brunt of a major catastrophe that claimed 100,000 lives in Banda Aceh and impacted several other parts of Aceh Province after the areas were rattled by a deadly tsunami following a powerful earthquake.

Read also: Bali Earthquake Followed by 12 Aftershocks, BMKG Reports

ANTARA