An M6.5 earthquake jolted the northernmost area of Sumatra, Indonesia, on Dec. 7 at 5:03 a.m. local time, with nearly 100 fatalities and more than 600 injuries reported.
The epicenter was 19 kilometers (11.8 miles) southeast of Sigli and 92.3 km (57.5 miles) east-southeast of Banda Aceh, according to comments issued by catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide.
AIR said that insured losses from this earthquake are not expected to be significant (as a result of low insurance penetration).
The quake has strongly affected Pidie Jaya district, with a population of about 150,000, in Aceh province, while shaking also was felt in Banda Aceh. The epicenter was originally placed undersea, and a tsunami was feared, but this quake has not generated one, AIR said, noting that there have been at least 12 aftershocks reported.
“Indonesia sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, the seismically active fault line known for producing some of the strongest earthquakes in history,” said Dr. Bingming Shen-tu, assistant vice president at AIR Worldwide. “The devastating December 26, 2004, M9.1 to M9.3 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake occurred in the Sumatra subduction zone in the Sunda Trench, which roughly parallels the western side of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.”
Hundreds of buildings have been damaged or destroyed, mainly in Pidie Jaya, AIR said, adding that the quake had a major impact on Mereundu, the seat of Pidie Jaya’s regency government.
In the affected areas, many residential and religious buildings are constructed of unreinforced masonry, which are vulnerable to collapse during earthquakes, leading to significant casualties, AIR Worldwide confirmed. “The latest seismic design code in Indonesia was released in 2012; however, the code is not strictly enforced, so many buildings are not up to code.”
The numbers of fatalities and injuries will most likely rise, AIR said, as rescue operations are in the early stages.
“Yesterday’s earthquake near the northern segment of the Sumatra Fault (also known as the Great Sumatran Fault), which runs the length of the island of Sumatra for over 1,000 km [621.4 miles], is one of the largest crustal faults on earth,” commented Shen-tu.
“This fault has been the site of many large historical earthquakes and is a significant contributor to seismicity in Sumatra,” he added.
“Numerous historic earthquakes have occurred along the Sumatra Fault Zone with many having magnitudes larger than 7.0. The largest historic earthquake has a magnitude of about 7.7, which occurred in 1892. At least six earthquakes with magnitudes between 7.2 and 7.6 have occurred since 1900,” Shen-tu said.
However, most large earthquakes have occurred in the central and southern segments of the Sumatra fault, he noted.
“No earthquakes larger than M7.0 have ruptured the northern segment. The epicenter of yesterday’s earthquake is about 25 km east of the main Sumatra fault, which may indicate that this earthquake may not have directly ruptured the Great Sumatra Fault.”
Source: AIR Worldwide
Topics Catastrophe Profit Loss
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