5-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes North Maluku

english.jpnn.com, HALMAHERA UTARA - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported an earthquake of magnitude 5 that rattled North Halmahera District, North Maluku Province, on Monday (18/4), had damaged local community buildings.

“According to the recent report, the earthquake causes damage to the mosque building in Ngidiho Village, West Galela Sub-district, North Halmahera District," Coordinator of Earthquake and Tsunami Mitigation at BMKG, Daryono, noted in a statement.

Daryono remarked that the earthquake, whose hypocenter was located on land at a depth of 116 kilometers (km) at 1.97 degrees North latitude and 127.83 degrees East longitude, was a medium-sized quake.

He noted that the disaster occurred due to the subduction of the Maluku Sea Plate under the Halmahera Plate.

"The source mechanism analysis shows that the earthquake has combined shear and upward movements," Daryono stated.

He added that according to the modeling results, the earthquake, which hit at 10:04 a.m. Western Indonesian Standard Time (WIB), did not have the potential to cause a tsunami.

Daryono remarked that the shock caused by the earthquake was felt at Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) IV in Galela Sub-district and MMI II-III in Tobelo Sub-district, North Halmahera District.

Shocks of MMI IV were felt by several residents indoors and some people outdoors during the day as well as caused the windows, walls, dishes, and doors to make cracking sounds.