An earthquake struck today on April 11, 2012 off the western coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra today, triggering a tsunami warning. The magnitude of the earthquake has been reported as 8.9 on the richter scale. The tsunami waves are expected to hit Sumatra, Indonesia by 5.21 pm, Singapore time. However, this has not been confirmed yet and a high alert has been sent for the time being.
The earthquake had struck just after 2:10 pm local time at a depth of 33 kilometers. The quake’s epicenter was located 431 kilometers southwest of Banda Aceh on Sumatra.
Indonesia has a series of fault lines, which makes the island nation prone to volcanic and seismic activities.
On December 26, 2004, a giant 9.1-magnitude quake off the country had triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that had taken the lives of 230,000 people, nearly three quarter of them in Aceh.
India issued a tsunami warning for the Nicobar Islands following the massive earthquake.
Tremors were felt in Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Bangalore. IT offices across the cities advised their employees to vacate office buildings. Cracks were spotted on several high buildings in Park Street, Kolkata that set off the alarm bells across the city. Different parts of Kolkata experienced the earthquake on around 2.15 pm. Along with the main city different parts the adjoining districts also experienced mild tremors.
An Indian Ocean-wide tsunami watch was put in place immediately following the quake.
The tsunami watch was in place for 28 countries, including Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Burma, Thailand, South Africa, Singapore, Iran, UAE, Yemen, Comores, Maldives, UK, Malaysia, Mauritius, etc.
The experts are trying to figure out the exact cause of the tsunami. When an earthquake of this high magnitude occurs, a large body of water is disturbed by the movement of the fault. Sumatra could be in a very dangerous position if the alert turns out to be true.
Earthquake analysis:
- 2:42 pm: Tsunami warning issued in 28 nations.
- 2:41 pm: There were twitting that tremors were felt in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and India. The high-rise apartments and offices on Malaysia’s west coast shook for at least a minute.
- 2:40 pm: Tremors were felt in Bangalore, Ooty, Chennai, Guwahati, Bhubaneshwar and Kolkata as well.
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nice article. hope every one is safe and fine. Amen.