Two strong earthquakes hit Indonesia on June 24, 2019: A M7.3 and a M6.1.
The first quake struck Indonesia’s Papua and has triggered a sustained swarm of moderately strong tremors that is still ongoing. The second quake hit in Indonesia’s Banda Sea, but authorities said there is no tsunami threat.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.3 quake was centered 129 miles below the earth’s surface. Still, residents in the Australian city of Darwin, approximately 720 kilometers away (450 miles), said they could feel shaking due to the seismic activity.
Nine News Darwin said on Twitter shaking could be felt in its studios for several minutes.
EARTH TREMOUR!: Anyone else experience the big earth tremour across the city?
— Nine News Darwin (@9NewsDarwin) June 24, 2019
Our studios here in The Gardens was rocked for several minutes
Buildings throughout the city were evacuated due to the quake.
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake has rocked Darwin, forcing parts of the CBD to be evacuated.#9news | https://t.co/ema3GfmRkO https://t.co/6UzVvOhHl2
— Nine News Darwin (@9NewsDarwin) June 24, 2019
Indonesia’s geophysics agency said the deep quake didn’t cause a tsunami.
The Banda Sea quake was recorded minutes after a 6.1 temblor in a thinly populated area 144 miles west of Papua province’s Abepura town, at a depth of 12 miles.
This first quake created a cascade of moderately strong aftershocks that are still ongoing.
Rahmat Triyono, Indonesia’s head of the earthquake and tsunami center, said the Papua quake was followed by several smaller aftershocks, but there was no immediate report of major damage or injuries.
Indonesia is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location along the Pacific “Ring of Fire.” A powerful Indian Ocean quake and tsunami in 2004 killed a total of 230,000 people in a dozen countries, most of them in Indonesia.
