M 5.1 Earthquake Shakes Jailolo Malut, BMKG: Due to Crustal Deformation

JAKARTA - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said that the earthquake that occurred in the northwest of Jailolo, North Maluku (Malut), was due to crustal deformation.

"Considering the epicenter location and the hypocenter depth, the earthquake that occurred is a shallow earthquake type due to the presence of crustal deformation activity," said Acting Director of Earthquakes and Tsunamis of the BMKG, Rahmat Triyono, in a release shared in the BMKG and Stakeholders group in Manado, Friday, quoted by Antara.

"From the results of the source mechanism analysis, it continues, the earthquake has a horizontal movement mechanism (strike slip).

The earthquake had an impact and was felt in the Ternate area (North Maluku) with an intensity scale of II-III MMI (real felt vibration in the house or felt the vibration as if a truck was passing).

Meanwhile, from the results of the modeling, he said, showed that the earthquake did not have the potential for a tsunami.

Until 12.10 WIB, the results of BMKG monitoring had not shown any aftershock earthquake activity.

Rahmat Triyono appealed to residents to ensure that official information only comes from BMKG which is disseminated through official communication channels that have been verified.

Friday at 11.45.21 WIB, the northwest coast of Jailolo, North Maluku, was shaken by a tectonic earthquake.

The results of the BMKG analysis showed that the earthquake had an update parameter with a magnitude of 5.1.

The epicenter of the earthquake is located at coordinates 1.29 degrees North Latitude (LU) and 126.45 degrees East Longitude (BT) or located in the sea at a distance of 115 kilometers west of Jailolo, at a depth of 26 kilometers.