Qa'dah 18, 1431, Oct 26, 2010, SPA - At least 95 aftershocks were recorded by Kepahiang Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) to have occurred so far after Monday night`s powerful earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale in Mentawai, West Sumatra. "So far we have recorded 95 aftershocks following the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Mentawai, including another magnitude 6.2 aftershock that rocked Bengkulu," Kepahiang BMKG spokesman Dadang Permanan said on Monday. ANTARA news agency quoted the spokesman as saying that the powerful earthquake in Mentawai was triggered by friction of two active plates of Indoaustralia and Eurasia which extends along West Sumatra coastal waters. Soon after the powerful earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale that jolted Mentawai islands in West Sumara at 9.42 on Monday night, two other aftershocks hit the same area later. The epicenter of the magnitude 7.2 earthquake was 78 km west of Pagai Selatan sub district, Mentawai district, at a depth of 10 km. The first aftershock with a magnitude of 5.5 hit the islands at around 10.00 p.m. It was centered 89 km southwest of Pagai Selatan sub district at a depth of 22 km. The second aftershock measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale jolted the area at around 10.31 p.m., with the epicenter located 51 km southwest of Pagai Selatan sub district at a depth of 34 km. Ade Anwar, head of emergency and logistics section at the West Umatra regional disaster mitigation board said the earthquake including two aftershocks did not have the potential to cause a tsunami. He said he had yet to receive any report about houses damaged in the quake.
