Earthquake Journal Entry

Massive Earthquake Slams Sumatra (September 13, 2007)

A deadly magnitude 8.4 quake struck near the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra this week. The massive quake was followed by a series of strong aftershocks of up to magnitude 7.9.

At least 17 people were killed and hundreds of others were hurt. Shaking was felt nearly 400 miles (600 kilometers) away in the capital Jakarta as well as in Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake is the most powerful recorded anywhere on the planet since a magnitude 8.7 quake struck Sumatra in March 2005, killing over 1,300 people.

This week's quake toppled hundreds of homes and other buildings in the Bengkulu and Padang areas. Phone and electrical service were knocked out across a wide stretch of the coast. The quake triggered a tsunami with waves of about 10 feet (3 meter) that washed over several fishing villages along the Sumatra coast. But scientists say it could have been much worse. The brunt of the tsunami was directed out ot sea and away from the coast.

The quake's epicenter was 80 miles (130 km) southwest of the city of Bengkulu. It struck at a depth of 18 miles (30 km). The quake hit along the tectonic plate boundary between the Australian and Sunda plates.

Quake-prone Indonesia is part of the Ring of Fire where tectonic plates meet along subduction zones surrounding the Pacific Ocean. The nation is slowly recovering from the massive magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami that hit Sumatra in December 2004, killing over 230,000 people in nations around the Indian Ocean. In May 2006, another tsunami killed almost 5,000 people on Java. Yet another quake hit Sumatra this March, killing at least 70 people.