Tsunami threats trouble shaken Indonesia - September 13, 2007
Uncertainty still grips Indonesia after a lucky escape following three confirmed earthquakes. Although at least 10 people are thought to have died and property damage is reported to be high, a tsunami formed by an 8.4 magnitude quake yesterday travelled away from the island. “There was a tsunami created by the earthquake, it just travelled in a southwest direction away from land,” Mike Turnbull, seismologist at Central Queensland University, told Reuters. While a major tsunami may have been avoided, ABC says a small one did make landfall and that houses were damaged in a “largely deserted” village following the initial quake.
The US Geological survey reports three earthquakes yesterday – the initial, 8.4 magnitude quake, was followed by another registering at 7.8. A new tsunami alert was issued and then lifted after third earthquake this morning. This third quake has been widely reported as magnitude 6.4 (BBC for example), although a USGS preliminary report says it was a 5.0.
