Indonesia Struck By Strong Earthquake

The Indonesian Agency for Meteorology and Geophysics reports that a tsunami could have ensued, but fortunately when Indonesia was stuck by this earthquake, that was not the case. This is a welcome change from the devastating tsunami of 2004 which was triggered by an Indian Ocean earthquake. Mother nature has certainly not been kind to the Southeast Asian country.

The earthquake which hit Indonesia today, is due in part to the country's location on Pacific "Ring of Fire," which is an arc of volcanoes and fault lines that circle the Pacific Basin.

The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reports that a tsunami threat did not exist, however, coastal areas within 100 km of the earthquakes center could be affected.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people and families affected by this earthquake which hit Indonesia today. The Indonesian people have had their fair share of hardship.

The 2004 tsunami left over 167,000 dead northern Sumatra on the west coast of Indonesia. The tsunami was caused by subduction and responsible for numerous tsunamis along the Indian Ocean coastal countries. One of the deadliest such natural disasters in history, it caused much chaos in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.

The news is reported by Bryan Wisotsky.
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