Massive earthquake off Banda Aceh 8.7 11th April 2012

[JennyLeez]

A magnitude 8.5 earthquake has struck off Banda Aceh and a tsunami warning is in place, Indonesia's geophysical agency says.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) puts the quake at 495 kilometres southwest of Aceh.

There is an Indian Ocean-wide tsunami watch in effect, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre says.

Tremors from the quake have been felt in Singapore, Thailand and Southern India, Reuters is reporting witnesses as saying.

The quake is in a similar area to one which struck on Boxing Day, 2004, killing around 250,000 people.

That quake had a magnitude of 9.1 and was 30km deep.

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[JennyLeez]

Earthquake Details

This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.
Magnitude
8.7
Date-Time
Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at 08:38:38 UTC
Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at 02:38:38 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
2.348°N, 93.073°E
Depth
33 km (20.5 miles)
Region
OFF THE WEST COAST OF NORTHERN SUMATRA
Distances
434 km (269 miles) SW of Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia
550 km (341 miles) SW of Lhokseumawe, Sumatra, Indonesia
963 km (598 miles) W of KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia
1797 km (1116 miles) WNW of JAKARTA, Java, Indonesia
Location Uncertainty
horizontal +/- 14 km (8.7 miles); depth +/- 2.8 km (1.7 miles)
Parameters
NST=243, Nph=243, Dmin=514.3 km, Rmss=1.67 sec, Gp= 36°,
M-type=regional moment magnitude (Mw), Version=8
Source
Magnitude: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Location: USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)

[Mark]

Indonesia’s geophysical agency has registered an 8.7 magnitude earthquake in the Aceh region, off the coast of northern Sumatra. A tsunami warning has been issued, the US Geological Survey reports.
 
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre is monitoring the situation in the Indian Ocean.


The closest city to the quake’s epicenter, which lies 33 km beneath the ocean floor, is provincial capital Banda Aceh. With a population of over 220,000, it’s located some 500 kilometers away.

Tremors from the earthquake have been felt in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and southern India. Witnesses said on Twitter that high-rise apartments and offices on Malaysia's west coast shook for at least a minute.


Indonesia straddles a series of fault lines that makes the vast island nation prone to volcanic and seismic activity.

In December 2004, a giant 9.1 quake triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed 230,000 people, nearly three quarters of them in Aceh.

http://rt.com/news/sumatra-indonesia-earthquake-tsunami-765/

[Suezy]

Registered on the NZ sites and mostly at Urewara one

[Suezy]

Hope everyone is OK and not a subduction one like last time.

[David]

Agreed. USGS page below suggests that the faulting mechanism was largely horizontal movement (strike-slip)
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2012/usc000905e/neic_c000905e_wmt.php

[JennyLeez]

A 6.1 magnitude aftershock has rattled Band Aceh, following an 8.7 quake earlier this evening.
A tsunami watch was issued for countries across the Indian Ocean after the large earthquake hit waters off Indonesia on Wednesday, triggering widespread panic as residents along coastlines fled to high ground in cars and on the backs of motorcycles.
Some were crying. Others screamed "God is great" as they poured from their homes.
The US Geological Survey said the 8.7-magnitude quake was centered 33 kilometres beneath the ocean floor around 434 kilometres from Aceh's provincial capital.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said a tsunami watch was in effect for Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Myanmar, Thailand, the Maldives and other Indian Ocean islands, Malaysia, Pakistan, Somalia, Oman, Iran, Bangladesh, Kenya, South Africa and Singapore.
A tsunami watch means there is the potential for a tsunami, not that one is imminent.
Said, an official at Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency who goes by only one name, said a tsunami warning has been issued for cities all along the coast of Sumatra island.
There was chaos in the streets, with fierce shaking continuing for nearly four minutes.
"I was in the shower on the fifth floor of my hotel," Timbang Pangaribuan told El Shinta radio from the city of Medan. "We all ran out. ... We're all standing outside now."
He said one guest was injured when he jumped from the window of his room.
The tremor was felt in Singapore, Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia and India. High-rise apartments and offices on Malaysia's west coast shook for at least a minute.
Thailand's National Disaster Warning Center issued an evacuation order to residents in six provinces along the country's west coast, including the popular tourist destinations of Phuket, Krabi and Phang-Nga.
Indonesia straddles a series of fault lines that makes the vast island nation prone to volcanic and seismic activity.
A giant 9.1-magnitude quake off the country on December 26, 2004, triggering a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed 230,000 people, nearly three quarter of them in Aceh.

TV3 Online News

[Suezy]

They also had another one earlier in the year.
Magnitude
7.2
Date-Time
Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 18:36:59 UTC

[JennyLeez]

Indonesia issues new tsunami alert for aftershock
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) -- Indonesia has issued a fresh tsunami warning after an aftershock with a preliminary magnitude of 8.2 shook its western coast.

The first 8.6-magnitude quake off Aceh province, hours earlier, spawned a wave around 30 inches (80 centimeters) high but caused no serious damage.

More:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_INDONESIA_EARTHQUAKE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT