6.0-magnitude earthquake hits Indonesia's Seram island
What's the story
A magnitude-6.0 earthquake struck Seram, Indonesia, on Monday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) confirmed. The quake struck at a depth of 136km. This comes just a day after Mount Semeru erupted, sending ash clouds up to two kilometers high. The country's volcanology agency has advised residents to stay at least 2.5km away from the volcano due to potential risks.
Mountain
Mountain erupted many times
Semeru, also known as Mahameru, has erupted multiple times over the last 200 years. Despite this, like in the case with many of Indonesia's 129 active volcanoes, tens of thousands of people continue to live on the fertile slopes. Semeru's most recent major eruption occurred in December 2021, which killed 51 people and burned hundreds more in villages. More than 10,000 people were also forced to evacuate because of the eruption.
Seismic zone
Indonesia's location in seismically active 'Ring of Fire'
Indonesia is part of the "Pacific Ring of Fire," a region known for its high seismic and volcanic activity. It is where tectonic plates meet, resulting in frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) also reported a moderately shallow magnitude 5.9 earthquake near Ambon, Kota Ambon, Maluku on Thursday.