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.
|
