BMKG: Earthquake Swarms Currently Active in Bogor Regency

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) explained the cause of the series of earthquakes that recently struck Bogor and its vicinity. The agency recorded that the destructive 4.6-magnitude quake in Sukabumi on Thursday morning, Dec. 14, was the 55th quake recorded since Dec. 6.

“There are 55 quakes with the largest at 4.6 magnitude and the smallest at 1.7 magnitude. Of the total, four quakes could be felt [by the people],” the agency’s head Dwikorita Karnawati said on Thursday, Dec. 14.

Since Nov. 1, the agency has confirmed that Pamijahan, Leuwiliang, and Nanggung in Bogor Regency have one of the three active quake zones in West Java Province. The other two are located in Cianjur, namely the Cugenang fault and the South Garut active fault zone.

In Cianjur, 12 earthquakes have been reported, half of which were felt by the people. Meanwhile, the South Garut fault has caused eight quakes in the Garut and Bandung regencies.

For Bogor alone, the agency found that Pamijahan, Leuwiliang, and Nanggung are more susceptible to quake swarms than their surrounding areas. 

An earthquake swarm is a weak, high-frequency earthquake that can occur in an area over a long period.

However, it can cause damage due to repeated tremors, especially when the quake’s depth is shallow.

This was why more than 60 houses in Bogor Regency were damaged after Thursday’s quake. “The impact of the quake in Pamijahan may reach MMI Scale V, which is classified as damaging,” the BMKG’s head of quake and tsunami center, Daryono, explained.

As for the possible eruption of Mount Salak, which is located in Nanggung, Pamijahan, and Leuwiliang, Daryono assessed that earthquake swarms do not necessarily herald volcanic activity. 

ZACHARIAS WURAGIL

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