An Earthquake With A Magnitude Of 6.6 NTT Due To Light Damage

Earthquake Illustration (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The earthquake that rocked Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on Thursday at 04.04 WIB caused minor damage.

Head of the Earthquake and Tsunami Center of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Daryono stated that a number of buildings and houses in Kupang were damaged by an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6.

This earthquake was centered on land with a depth of 25 km and coordinates of 10.26 degrees South Latitude and 123.72 degrees East Longitude, about 15 km to the southeast of Kupang.

Based on the location of the epicenter and the depth of the hypocentrum, this earthquake is categorized as a shallow crust earthquake triggered by active fault activity.

"Ironically, this incident is related to the prehistoric slide of Australian plates under Kupang. You can imagine like the folding of the surface there," Daryono was quoted as saying by ANTARA, Thursday, November 2.

"Although the earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3 with light damage, this shows a slowdown in vibrations in Kupang, because the area is dominated by hard rock," he added.

He also said that this earthquake was felt in Kupang on the MMI VI scale, South Central Timor Regency on the MMI IV-V scale, Rote and Waingapu on the MMI III scale, and Alor on the MMI II scale.

On the MMI II scale, several people felt the vibration and caused light objects that were hung to sway. On the MMI III scale, the vibration felt real inside the house, as if there was a truck passing by.

Vibrations on the MMI IV scale, especially during the day, were felt by many people inside the house and some outside the house. These vibrations can cause pottery to burst, windows/doors bicker, and walls to sound.'

On the MMI V scale, almost all residents feel the vibration. Many were awakened and pottery broke, items bounced, poles, and large items swayed.

Guncangan pada skala VI MMI dapat dirasakan oleh semua penduduk, membuat sebagian besar orang terkejut dan berjalan keluar, serta menyebabkan kerusakan ringan pada bangunan.