Indonesia was shocked, rocked and quaked again, with an earthquake that devastated interior and coastal parts of the country, bringing with it the memories of devastating 2004 Tsunami. But, thankfully, this earthquake that gave airs to fears of a Tsunami did not fruitfully give rise to it.
The earthquake that hit Indonesia recently brought devastation for thousands of people. With houses scrambling under the quake, sending shivering tremors all over, bringing life at a standstill in the country for that moment. Indonesia is home to world’s largest, frequent and recurrent earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis because of its position crumbling between the Australia Plate and the Eurasian Plate and other smaller plate fragments. Such a suture zone makes Indonesia world’s most tectonically fragile place, home to numerous earthquakes and volcanoes.
The subduction of Australian plate beneath the Eurasian plate continues marginalizing Indonesia, bringing devastating earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 6 striking the region. Its proximity to water bodies makes it vulnerable to earthquake generated Tsunamis. But, fortunately the earthquake passed off without triggering a tsunami that can be more devastating. Who can forget the 2004 Tsunami in the Indian Ocean that virtually took more than a thousand lives, hurled boats into trees, uprooted houses, long gushing waves swallowed whatever came their way. This time the earthquake rocked houses, shivered buildings, overthrew a lot of people from their homes, fortunate ones escaped and unfortunate ones lost their lives. With no roof over their head and nothing to eat and drink, the earthquake victims are in dire need of help in the form of food, water, shelter and medicines.
Indonesia’s vulnerability to natural calamities has become a torment for its people. Earthquakes, landslides, volcanoes and tsunamis are a recurrent, but as global warming’s correlation with endogenetic forces emerges, more devastation can be in the offing.
Via: BBC
