First Destructive Earthquake in 2023 Jolts Papua's Jayapura with 50 Aftershocks

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) has updated data on the 4.9 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Jayapura, Papua, on Monday, January 2, 2023, at 01:24 Western Indonesia Time (WIB), or 03:24:33 Eastern Indonesia Time (WIT).

Head of the BMKG Earthquake and Tsunami Center, Daryono, said the Jayapura City area was struck by a tectonic earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9. The epicenter was at the coordinate 2.53 South Latitude and 140.74 East Longitude, located on land at a distance of 14 kilometers northeast of Jayapura City, Papua, at a depth of 10 kilometers.

"Taking into account the epicenter and the hypocenter, it appears that the shallow earthquakes were suspected to have been caused by active fault activity that crossed Jayapura," said Daryono.

The earthquake was reportedly felt in the City and District of Jayapura with an MMI scale of IV-V, causing minor damage to houses. Daryono posted several photos of damages caused by the earthquake, such as a hotel ceiling slightly collapsed.

In addition, based on BMKG monitoring results until 08:00 WIT or 06:00 WIB, there had been 50 aftershocks with only four that were felt. The series of aftershocks recorded with magnitudes ranging from 1.6 to 4.4, most of which occurred at sea.

Maria Fransisca Lahur | Translator: Intern / Imaji Lasahido

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