|
Discovery
A magnitude
6.5 temblor struck the western end of Indonesia's Java island
Wednesday, sending residents of the capital Jakarta fleeing
from office buildings, The Associated Press reported.
According
to the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, earthquake
— with an epicenter 145 miles southwest of the city
beneath the Indian Ocean — struck at 4:32 p.m.
The
quake, which caused no casualties or damage, hit an area
near Krakatau, an offshore volcano in the Sunda Straits
between Java and Sumatra. Around 36,000 people died when
Krakatau erupted in 1883 in one of the biggest eruptions
in recorded history, The Associated Press said.
Indonesia,
the world's largest archipelago nation, is vulnerable to
earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring
of Fire" — a volcanically active stretch of land
extending from the western coasts of the Americas across
to Japan, Southeast Asia and the South Pacific.
Eastern Taiwan Shaken by Quake
Oct.
25, 2000 — A magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit the east
coast of Taiwan on Tuesday at 3:11 p.m. local time, but
there were no reports of injuries or damage.
Seismologists
from the country's Central Weather Bureau reported that
the quake was centered about 8 miles north of the city of
Hualien, located 96 miles southeast of the of the capital,
Taipei.
The
east coast of the island sits above the Eurasian and Philippine
tectonic plates and is frequently hit by tremors.
Tokyo Jolted by Quake
Oct.
24, 2000 — A magnitude 4.4 earthquake shook Tokyo
and surrounding areas on Tuesday morning, rattling windows
in high-rises.
There
were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from the
quake, which was centered near the northwestern part of
Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. Japan's Meteorological
Agency reported that the tremor occurred about 40 miles
beneath the surface of the earth.
On October
6, a magnitude 7.3 quake hit western Japan, injuring more
than 100 people and forcing thousands of others to evacuate
to temporary shelters.
Northeastern Iran Rocked by Quake
Oct.
24, 2000 — A magnitude 5.3 earthquake jolted the
northeastern Iranian city of Nehbandan on Monday at 10:24
a.m. local time. Local governor Abdolali Joghataie said
there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The
country's official IRNA news agency reported that the quake
was centered in southern Khorasan Province, close to the
border with Afghanistan.
Philippines Jolted by Pair of Quakes
Oct.
23, 2000 — Both the northern and southern Philippines
were jolted by earthquakes on Sunday, but there were no
immediate reports of injuries or damage from either tremor.
A magnitude
5.7 quake hit about 32 miles west of Batangas Province on
the main island of Luzon at 6:30 a.m. local time. The quake
was centered offshore.
About
three hours later, a magnitude 5.4 tremor struck near the
city of Mati in Davao Oriental Province. The quake also
occurred beneath the seabed.
Vilma
Hernandez of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology reported that aftershocks were expected.
Quake Jolts Indonesia's West Papua Province
Oct.
23, 2000 — A magnitude 4.8 earthquake shook Indonesia's
remote West Papua Province on Sunday at 11:21 a.m., but
there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The
country's Meteorology and Geophysics Agency reported that
the quake hit the western region of New Guinea Island, about
29 miles west of the provincial capital, Jayapura.
West
Papua Province, is also known as Irian Jaya, and is located
approximately 2,500 miles northeast of Jakarta.
|
