5.2-Magnitude Quake Hits Central Maluku

Bandarlampung, Lampung (Antara) - An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale shook northeast of Central Maluku district on Friday, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG). The epicenter of the quake which struck at 10.22 Western Indonesian Standard Time was located 76 km northeast of Central Maluku at a depth of 10 km, the head of the Kotabumi geophysics station in Lampung, Yuharman said quoting a BMKG report. The agency said the quake did not have the potential to cause a tsunami. Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity. Central Maluku lies at the meeting point of the country's two main chains of volcanoes. (*)