Quake Rocks Northern Papua
Kamis, 8 Maret 2012 10:01 WIB
Jakarta - An earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale rocked the northern part of Papua province on Wednesday night, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
The epicenter of the quake which struck at 07.00 p.m. western Indonesian time was in the sea about 135 km northwest of the provincial capital Jayapura at a depth of 127 km, the agency said.
The agency assured the temblor did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami.
There was no immediate report of casualties or material damage.
The northern part of Papua bordering Maluku waters is among the areas prone to quakes and tsunamis because it lies at the meeting point of three major tectonic plates -- Pacific, Indo Australia and Eurasia plates. (*)