Almost 2,000 tremors have rippled through Lombok over the course of the past month, according to data from Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
“The total from July 29, 2018 is 1,973 earthquakes,” Agus Riyanto, head of the BMKG station in Lombok’s capital Mataram, said on Thursday.
Aftershocks have not disappeared yet, with a 4.6 earthquake shaking Lombok on Thursday at 7:10am. The quake’s epicenter was in the sea, about 23 kilometers northwest of North Lombok Regency, at a depth of 11 kilometers.
“This earthquake was an aftershock from the 7.0 magnitude earthquake on Aug. 5, 2018,” Riyanto explained, as quoted by Kompas.
#Gempa Mag:4.6, 30-Agu-18 06:10:33 WIB, Lok:8.30 LS, 116.08 BT (Pusat gempa berada di laut 23 km barat laut Lombok Utara), Kedlmn:11 Km Dirasakan (MMI) III Lombok Utara, III Lombok Barat, III Mataram, II Lombok Tengah #BMKG pic.twitter.com/xwSWcb43v6
— BMKG (@infoBMKG) August 29, 2018
There were no additional reports of damage caused by the 4.6 earthquake—pretty much everyone in the island’s upper half has evacuated by now into tent camps—and the quake did not trigger a tsunami warning, said Riyanto.
Estimated tsunami range
BMKG has released a tsunami range radius if one were triggered in Lombok. Based on BMKG’s readings and research, the maximum earthquake from the current activity could reach 7.4 on the richter scale. If a quake of this scale were to occur, it could set off a tsunami with a radius of five kilometers from the coast, says Riyanto.
“There are already studies from experts around the world that the maximum potential for an earthquake is at a magnitude of 7.4. So, we are not surprised that there was a 7.0 earthquake earlier.
“If a 7.4 hits, the tsunami range reaches five kilometers,” VIVA quoted Riyanto as saying.
If a tsunami were to hit at the Senggigi and Ampenan Beach areas, then residents must evacuate towards Cakranegara or beyond, he said.
Nevertheless, aftershocks have been continuing to occur, but the magnitude has remained blow the 7.0 on Aug. 5 and the 6.9 on Aug. 19.
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