6.2 magnitude earthquake shakes Indonesia, kills 7, injures more than 100

Jakarta, dated 15 January 2021, Friday

At least seven people have been killed and more than 100 injured in an earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The epicenter was reported below the epicenter, at 6.2 on the Richter scale. The epicenter was reported at 10 km below the ground.

No tsunami alert was issued

The epicenter was reported 6 kilometers northeast of the city. The quake was felt for about 7 seconds, but no tsunami alert was issued after the quake. Earlier in the day, tremors were also felt in some parts of the country.

There was a terrible earthquake in 2004

Even before this, there were severe earthquakes in Indonesia in the years 2004 and 2018. A magnitude 7.5 earthquake also shook the island of Sulawesi in 2018, killing at least 4,300 people, while a magnitude 9.1 earthquake on December 26 in Indonesia killed at least 2.22 million people.

How do earthquakes happen?

There are 7 plates inside the earth, which are constantly rotating. Where these plates collide with each other, it is called the John Fault Line. Frequent collisions cause the corners of the plates to bend. When more pressure builds up, the plates break down and the lower energy finds its way out, again causing an earthquake due to this disturbance.