Earthquake off Java July 2006
Earthquake off Java July 2006 | ||
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date | July 17, 2006 | |
Time | 08:19:28 UTC | |
Magnitude | 7.7 M W | |
epicenter | 9 ° 15 '14 " S , 107 ° 24' 40" E | |
country | Indonesia | |
Tsunami | Yes | |
dead | 522 | |
Injured | 9171 | |
damage | Buildings destroyed or damaged in 1623 | |
On July 17, 2006 , at 08:19:28 UTC (15:19:28 local time), a natural disaster occurred on the island of Java . A seaquake of magnitude 7.7 occurred off the south coast halfway to Christmas Island (9,254 ° S, 107,411 ° E), at the Sunda Trench about 170 km off Java . The quake caused a tsunami with a wave height of up to 4.6 meters. The main quake was followed by over 20 aftershocks with magnitudes between 4.6 and 6.1, the two strongest aftershocks had magnitudes of 6.0 and 6.1. The tremors as a result of the severe seaquake were barely perceived on Java , as the sea floor tore up at a comparatively low speed. In addition, at the time of the quake, the water had retreated due to the ebb and high, wind-whipped waves obscured the retreat of the sea caused by the oncoming tsunami. According to eyewitnesses, the sea retreated up to 500 meters along the affected coastline after the quake, so that the seabed became visible. Numerous people then sought refuge inland. Some time later, the tidal wave rushed in and rolled over the beaches with force. The harbingers of the tsunami were largely not recognized.
Shortly after the first tremors, the “Pacific Tsunami Warning Center” issued a warning for the coastal states and the islands of the Indian Ocean, especially Java and Sumatra. However, this had not been passed on by the Indonesian authorities. The automatic tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean, which was launched after the disaster of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake , was only just beginning. A stretch of coast of around 180 km was affected by the tsunami, and the water flowed up to half a kilometer inland. So there was another flood disaster that cost 522 lives. 9,171 injured, 65 missing and 1,623 destroyed or damaged buildings were the other consequences.
See also
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Web links
- http://www.zamg.ac.at/geophysik/Reports/jahrbuch/JAHRBUCH_2006-deutsch.pdf
- Tsunami in Indonesia ZEIT online, Reuters, dpa July 20, 2006
- http://www.scinexx.de/wissen-aktuell-5041-2006-07-18.html