Earthquake Strikes North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia, No Tsunami Alert Issued

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake jolted North Sulawesi province in central Indonesia on Sunday, but did not trigger a tsunami, the country's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency said.

The quake rocked at 7:03 a.m. Jakarta time, with the epicenter at 69 km southwest of Kepulauan Sitaro district and the depth at 255 km under the seabed, the agency was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Two earthquakes hit Indonesian province of Aceh, causes injuries and damage
A woman drives her motorcycle past a section of road damaged following this week's strong earthquake in Pidie Jaya, Aceh province, Indonesia, December 10, 2016. Reuters

Tremors Felt in Other Provinces

The tremors of the quake were also felt in the nearby province of North Maluku, it said.

The agency did not issue a tsunami warning, saying that the earthquake did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami.

In late August, an earthquake measuring magnitude 6.4 jolted Indonesia's West Sumatra province.

Pacific Ring of Fire
Volcanic arcs and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin form the so-called Ring of Fire, a zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. USGS

Pacific Ring of Fire

Straddling the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, Indonesia is regularly hit by earthquakes.

In 2018, a devastating 6.2-magnitude quake and subsequent tsunami struck the city of Palu, in Sulawesi, killing thousands.

A 9.1 magnitude quake off the north of Indonesia's Sumatra island on Boxing Day 2004 triggered a tsunami that swept over coastal areas of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and nine other countries, killing more than 230,000 people.

In January last year, at least 35 people were killed after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Sulawesi island.

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