5.1-magnitude quake hits Papua’s Bintang mountain range

Earthquake in Papua’s Bintang mountain

Jakarta (ANTARA) – An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 hit Bintang mountain range in the easternmost Indonesian province of Papua on early Wednesday, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG),

The epicenter of the earthquake which struck at 03.19 a.m. local time was located 4.95 degrees southern latitude and 140 degrees eastern longitude or 57 kilometers southwest of Bintang mountain range at a depth of 19 kilometers, the agency said on its official website.

The tremor did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami, the agency said.

No injuries or casualties have been reported,.

An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale is considered moderate and capable of causing damage.

Papua is one of the Indonesian provinces prone to earthquakes.

Please also read: Earthquake M 4.7 Shook Yapen Papua, Felt up to Serui

Notes

Earthquake in Papua’s Bintang mountain range

As part of the pacific ring of fire, Papua and West Papua provinces are part of the region that is under constant tension . When a quake strikes, that tension is temporarily relieved, but it soon starts to build again. So all that is left for the people who live around the Ring of Fire is to be aware of the danger, perhaps to live further inland, build safer, earthquake resistant housing, and for nations everywhere to improve oceanic and land-based early-warning systems to help minimise the risk to life.

A former Dutch colony, West Papua was formally incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 by referendum also known as the Act of Free Choice. The result of the referendum was an undisputed vote of about 1,025 representative tribal leaders. The whole process and result of the plebiscite was overseen and endorsed by the United Nations. The region became two separate provinces Papua and West Papua since 2007, and the earthquake in this news occurred in one of the provinces, Papua province.