July 2006 Sulawesi earthquake
Encyclopedia
The July 2006 Sulawesi earthquake was a magnitude
6.1 earthquake
in the Sulawesi
region of Indonesia
. It occurred on July 23, 2006, at 08:22 UTC
(16:22 local time). Seismologists have placed the epicentre at 0.415°S 123.177°E, and its hypocenter
at a depth of 86.2 km
. This is 1575 km NNW from Darwin
, Australia
and 1935 km ENE of Jakarta
, the capital city of Indonesia. It was felt across parts of Sulawasi, but there have been no reports of damage or injuries.
Hundreds of people reportedly fled to higher ground in the coastal town of Luwuk
after the quake struck, fearing a Tsunami
.
Moment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
6.1 earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
in the Sulawesi
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
region of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. It occurred on July 23, 2006, at 08:22 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
(16:22 local time). Seismologists have placed the epicentre at 0.415°S 123.177°E, and its hypocenter
Hypocenter
The hypocenter refers to the site of an earthquake or a nuclear explosion...
at a depth of 86.2 km
Kilometre
The kilometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second...
. This is 1575 km NNW from Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and 1935 km ENE of Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, the capital city of Indonesia. It was felt across parts of Sulawasi, but there have been no reports of damage or injuries.
Hundreds of people reportedly fled to higher ground in the coastal town of Luwuk
Luwuk
Luwuk is the capital of Banggai Regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Its area is 101.43 km². There used to be an oil industry in the region. It has a total population of 54.089 in the town.The universities in Luwuk are UNTIKA and UNISMUH....
after the quake struck, fearing a Tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
.
See also
- 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake2004 Indian Ocean earthquakeThe 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
- 2005 Sumatra earthquake2005 Sumatra earthquakeThe 2005 Sumatra earthquake, referred to as the Nias Earthquake by the scientific community, was a major earthquake on 28 March 2005, located off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Approximately 1300 people were killed by the earthquake, mostly on the island of Nias...
- May 2006 Java earthquakeMay 2006 Java earthquakeThe May 2006 Java earthquake occurred at 05:54 local time on 27 May 2006 , in the Indian Ocean around south-southwest of the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta, near Galur, on the southern side of the island of Java , 10 km below the seabed, with a magnitude of 6.2, according to the U.S....
- Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning SystemIndian Ocean Tsunami Warning SystemThe Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System is a tsunami warning system set up to provide warning to inhabitants of nations bordering the Indian Ocean of approaching tsunamis. It was agreed to in a United Nations conference held in January 2005 in Kobe, Japan as an initial step towards an International...
- List of Indonesian earthquakes