March 2007 Sumatra earthquakes
Encyclopedia
The March 2007 Sumatra earthquakes were two earthquake
s which hit near the northern end of Lake Singkarak
in Sumatra
, Indonesia
, on March 6, 2007 within two hours of each other.
and the second quake at 12:49 (05:49 UTC) measured 6.3. The earthquakes were felt as far away as Singapore
and Malaysia, which prompted the evacuation of some buildings there.
. Over 43,000 houses were damaged, with over 12,000 of those severely damaged. The severe damage to other structures includes over 130 public facilities, 310 mosques, 60 government buildings, 370 schools, and 230 shops. According to the governor of West Sumatra, Agam Regency
is the worst affected area, though other areas including Solok Regency
and Tanah Datar
are also badly affected. The total value of damages is estimated to be around 1.4 trillion Indonesian rupiah (USD$160 million).
The US AID has supplied them with all sorts of essentials like blankets, water, food and first aid kits.
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s which hit near the northern end of Lake Singkarak
Lake Singkarak
Lake Singkarak is a lake in West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is located between the cities of Padang Panjang and Solok. It has an area of 107.8 km², being approximately 21 km long and 7 km wide. The natural outlet for excess water is the Ombilin river which flows eastward to the Strait of...
in Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, on March 6, 2007 within two hours of each other.
Earthquakes
The initial quake at 10:49 (03:49 UTC) measured 6.4 on the Moment magnitude scaleMoment magnitude scale
The moment magnitude scale is used by seismologists to measure the size of earthquakes in terms of the energy released. The magnitude is based on the seismic moment of the earthquake, which is equal to the rigidity of the Earth multiplied by the average amount of slip on the fault and the size of...
and the second quake at 12:49 (05:49 UTC) measured 6.3. The earthquakes were felt as far away as Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Malaysia, which prompted the evacuation of some buildings there.
Effects
Over 60 fatalities and 460 serious injuries have been reported, spread across many towns and regencies in West SumatraWest Sumatra
West Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It lies on the west coast of the island Sumatra. It borders the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau and Jambi to the east, and Bengkulu to the southeast. It includes the Mentawai Islands off the coast...
. Over 43,000 houses were damaged, with over 12,000 of those severely damaged. The severe damage to other structures includes over 130 public facilities, 310 mosques, 60 government buildings, 370 schools, and 230 shops. According to the governor of West Sumatra, Agam Regency
Agam Regency
Agam is a regency of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It has an area of 2,232.30 km² and a population of approximately 419,800 people. The capital is Lubuk Basung....
is the worst affected area, though other areas including Solok Regency
Solok Regency
Solok Regency is a regency of West Sumatra, Indonesia.Besides mining, Solok Regency also has tourism attractions such as Mount Red and White in Nagari Sulit Air with 3 waterfalls close to each other with beautiful scenery provided by Jonjang Seribu .- External links :...
and Tanah Datar
Tanah Datar
Tanah Datar is a regency in West Sumatra province, Indonesia. The regency has a population of 334,000. The capital of the regency is Batusangkar...
are also badly affected. The total value of damages is estimated to be around 1.4 trillion Indonesian rupiah (USD$160 million).
Response
A variety of local and international aid organizations have deployed to the region to assist victims. A number of countries have pledged aid, including the Netherlands (US$2.0 million), Sweden (US$1.0 million), Canada (US$0.21 million), Malaysia (US$0.16 million), United States (US$0.1 million) and Taiwan (US$0.06 million).The US AID has supplied them with all sorts of essentials like blankets, water, food and first aid kits.
See also
- September 2007 Sumatra earthquakesSeptember 2007 Sumatra earthquakesThe September 2007 Sumatra earthquakes were a series of megathrust earthquakes that struck the Java Trench off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, three greater than magnitude 7. A series of tsunami bulletins was issued for the area...
- March 2010 Sumatra earthquake
- April 2010 Sumatra earthquakeApril 2010 Sumatra earthquakeThe April 2010 Sumatra earthquake was a 7.8 Mw earthquake that occurred on April 7, 2010, at 5:15 AM local time near Banyak Islands, off the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. A tsunami watch was issued according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu which was later canceled...