Tanimbar quake felt across Maluku and Papua
The Tanimbar earthquake occurred at 5:06 a.m. Jakarta time, with an offshore epicenter roughly 60 kilometers northwest of Larat Island in Maluku's Tanimbar Islands regency. BMKG first reported a depth of 160 kilometers.
Further analysis put the magnitude at 6.2 and the depth at 164 kilometers, according to Wijayanto, director of BMKG's Earthquake and Tsunami Center. He classified the event as an intermediate-depth intraslab earthquake, caused by deformation within the plate subducting beneath the Banda Sea. Analysis of its source mechanism indicated oblique-normal faulting.
Reports of shaking came from Banda Naira and the Tanimbar Islands, as well as Sorong in Southwest Papua and Kaimana in West Papua. Intensities in Sorong and Kaimana ranged from II to III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale. Level II means some people feel movement and lightly suspended objects may sway; level III is noticeable indoors and resembles the vibration of a passing heavy vehicle.
BMKG had recorded no aftershocks from the Tanimbar event as of 5:30 a.m. local time that day. Wijayanto advised residents to stay calm, keep away from any quake-damaged buildings and use verified information from official BMKG channels.
South Papua earthquake posed no tsunami threat
At 10:26 a.m. Jakarta time, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Boven Digoel regency in South Papua. BMKG placed the epicenter on land, approximately 175 kilometers northeast of Boven Digoel, with a depth of 120 kilometers.
The agency said this earthquake had no potential to generate a tsunami. It also urged residents to remain alert for possible aftershocks following the two earthquakes.
Separate quake near Kiunga
BMKG also reported a distinct magnitude 6.0 earthquake near Kiunga, Papua New Guinea, at 10:55 a.m. Jakarta time on October 29. This event was centered on land about 171 kilometers southeast of Oksibil in Highland Papua, at a depth of 42 kilometers.
The agency attributed the shallow quake to active faulting with a strike-slip mechanism. Shaking reached intensity III MMI in Boven Digoel and intensity II MMI in Jayapura and Merauke. BMKG said it had detected no aftershocks from this event.
