MAG 8.2 - NORTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA, 2005MAR28, 1609 UTC

[USCG_Hurricane_Watcher]

8.2 quake of the coast of Indonesia...more info from the USGS site:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Quakes/usweax.htm

Standby folks....

[x-y-no]

My God ...

Looks like the same fault as caused the tsunami, just somewhat further south.

This looks bad.

[GulfHills]

The Pacific Tsunami Center Just issued one for all coast line within 1000 kilometers of the epicenter.

The news said it's a shallow quake, about 20 miles below the surface of the earth.

This doesnt sound good.

[WXBUFFJIM]

I had a report that this quake lasted for 5 minutes. A scary situation and not good when it comes to tsunami or even the threat there of. Hopefully folks get away from that battered coastline.

Jim

[P.K.]

Huge quake hits Indonesian coast

A major quake in the Indian Ocean has hit the coast of the Indonesian tsunami-hit island of Sumatra, triggering an alert across the region.

The quake was given a magnitude of 8.2 by the US Geological Survey who have warned it could cause tidal waves.

The epicentre was located at about 200 km (125 miles) off the mainland.

The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake could cause a "widely destructive tsunami" and it was felt as far away as Malaysia.

"Authorities in those regions should be aware of this possibility and take immediate action," the center said in a statement on its website.

It comes three months after a major earthquake and subsequent tsunami in the Indian Ocean on 26 December caused major damage and killed tens of thousands of people in the region.

Russ Evans, a seismologist from the British Geological Survey, told the BBC the Boxing Day earthquake had a magnitude of 9.5.

He says the latest quake was almost certainly an after-shock from the first one and that a tsunami was certainly possible, but on a smaller scale.

'I heard my neighbours screaming'

The quake struck between the Sumatran cities of Padang and Medan at around 2315 local time (1615 GMT) and lasted up to three minutes, said Ramlan of Indonesia's Meteorological and Geophysics Office.

Power blackouts and major panic ensued, local officials told AFP news agency.

The quake was felt across the region with people in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, some 500km away, evacuating high-rise buildings and running out into the streets.

"I was getting ready for bed, and suddenly, the room started shaking," said Kuala Lumpur resident Jessie Chong.

"I thought I was hallucinating at first, but then I heard my neighbours screaming and running out."

Thailand, which was also hit by the 26 December disaster, has issued an tsunami alert.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4388579.stm

[WXBUFFJIM]

An 8.2 earthquake just to put into perspective is about 16 times less powerful than the 9.0 quake that struck in December in that region. Yet today's quake is stronger than the 1906 quake in San Francisco and also the 1994 North Ridge Quake. So this quake is still very powerful and quite an aftershock for it to be a 8.2. The 8.2 rating came from the US Geological Survey.

Some reports from the Japan Meteorological Agency indicate this quake maybe an 8.5.

Jim

[HurricaneGirl]

[kamqercam]

Another report update issued the quake at 8.7 I don't know if that was a mistake or not. My friend from Sri Lanka goes to the same college as me and said there was no reports of Tsunami waves hitting where her family lives. This is good news during a bad situation.

[gunner1551]

yes the updated number is 8.7 from the USGS

[USCG_Hurricane_Watcher]

8.7 ...Wow, that's one hell of an aftershock.

[Aquawind]

It really is amazing how close but yet how different this quake must have been.. It was larger and happened just at the tip of Sumatra and yet no Tidal Wave.. So unpredictable.. I imagine the people in the region were highly stressed even if not directly affected..They have alot of quake activity over there but still..this was a monster quake/aftershock..

8.7.. Get your Guiness book of world records or an Alamanac with facts and you will see this ranks pretty high with some of the biggest killers in history..

Only 300 reported dead so far.. amazing how different these quakes were..

Paul

[gunner1551]

yes that was one hell of an after shock!! but what is even more amazing is that aftershocks from the earthquake continue to rumble the area. At least 13 aftershocks between magnitudes 5.0 and 6.1 have been felt. The earthquake occurred along the same tectonic fault line as the massive 9.0 quake that caused the December 26th tsunami disaster.!!!