Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Strikes Off Sumatra's Coast
Emma O'Brien
Oct. 25 (Bloomberg) -- A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck west of the Indonesian island of Sumatra today, the U.S. Geological Survey said. No destructive waves were caused and a local alert was lifted, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
The earthquake occurred at 4:02 a.m. local time, 135 kilometers (84 miles) west of the town of Bengkulu on Sumatra at a depth of 30 kilometers, the USGS said in an e-mailed alert. The epicenter was 655 kilometers south-southwest of Singapore. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
``The local tsunami watch in effect for Indonesia is now ended,'' the Warning Center said in an e-mailed statement. ``No tsunami waves were observed.''
Indonesia lies in a zone where four tectonic plates meet. These plates constantly shift, sometimes causing earthquakes that can produce tsunamis. The area has been rattled by hundreds of tremors since an 8.4 magnitude quake, the world's strongest in 2 1/2 years, struck offshore from Sumatra on Sept. 12, leaving at least 23 people dead.
A quake off the coast of Aceh in northern Sumatra in December 2004 caused a tsunami that devastated coastal communities in countries across the Indian Ocean, killing more than 220,000 people.
To contact the reporter on this story: Emma O'Brien in Wellington on eobrien6@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: October 24, 2007 19:07 EDT