Location map of magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck near Sumatra,
Indonesia Wednesday morning. (USGS) See a larger map below.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports that a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck northern Sumatra at 5:15am local time (22:15 UTC). The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) does not believe a widespread tsunami has been generated but warns that a local tsunami is possible.
The epicenter of the quake is reported as 125 northwest of Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia or 325 miles west of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The USGS says the quake was centered 28.6 miles below the earth's surface but despite that depth was likely felt across much of northern Indonesia.
The PTWC said, "There is a very small possibility of a local tsunami that could affect coasts located usually no more than a hundred kilometers from the earthquake epicenter."
The location of the quake is only 105 miles from a magnitude 9.2 earthquake that occurred in December 2004. That quake generated a tsunami that claimed the lives of 227,898 people and ranked among the 10 deadliest quakes in history.
Earthquake Details
| Magnitude | 7.8 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
|
| Location | 2.236°N, 97.046°E |
| Depth | 46 km (28.6 miles) |
| Region | NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA |
| Distances | 205 km (125 miles) WNW of Sibolga, Sumatra, Indonesia 230 km (145 miles) SW of Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia 525 km (325 miles) W of KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia 1425 km (880 miles) NW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia |
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 7.4 km (4.6 miles); depth +/- 11.6 km (7.2 miles) |
| Parameters | NST= 58, Nph= 63, Dmin=330.6 km, Rmss=0.81 sec, Gp= 58°, M-type=teleseismic moment magnitude (Mw), Version=6 |
| Source |
|
| Event ID | us2010utc5 |
Location Map (USGS/Google Earth)
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