An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale jolted today the waters off Saumlaki, Maluku Province, according to ANTARA. The quake which struck at 8.07 a.m. was centered 161 km from Saumlaki or 248 km from Tual, both in Maluku, at a depth of 10 km under sea level, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said in its official website. It said the quake did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami. The quake was the second to hit Indonesia Sunday morning. A 5.7 magnitude undersea earthquake had also rocked the waters off the East Nusa Tenggara provincial capital of Kupang early Sunday. The epicenter of the quake which struck at around 3 a.m. was 93 km from Kupang at a depth of 114 km, the agency said. But there was no immediate report of casualties or material damage in both quakes. Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity. Maluku lies at the meeting point of the country`s two main chains of volcanoes. Indonesia was hit hardest by a 8.9 magnitude undersea earthquake and a subsequent tsunami on December 26, 2004 when more than 200,000 people perished.
