Great Earthquakes In Diverse Places
Powerful quake hits eastern Indonesia
The Associated Press
Tuesday, August 3, 2010; 8:57 AM
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- A powerful earthquake struck waters off of
eastern Indonesia on Tuesday, but there were no immediate reports of
damage and officials said there was no threat of a tsunami.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a preliminary magnitude
of 6.3 and was centered off Sulawesi island, around 26 miles (42
kilometers) beneath the ocean floor.
Some buildings shook in Manado, 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of the
epicenter, and in the nearby cities of Bitung and Tondano. But Deny
Hendrawanto, an official at Indonesia's earthquake monitoring office,
said there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
Dr. Fauzi, chief of the agency, said there also was no threat of a
tsunami. Like many Indonesians, Fauzi uses just one name.
Indonesia straddles a series of fault lines that make the vast island
nation prone to volcanic and seismic activity. A giant quake off the
country on Dec. 26, 2004, triggered the Indian Ocean tsunami that
killed 230,000 people, half of them in Indonesia's westernmost province
of Aceh.