The folks in California might appreciate this one:
*********************************************Tsunami Feared Off Island Sumatra
The Associated Press
Sunday, June 4, 2000; 3:33 p.m. EDT
WASHINGTON –– A great earthquake, capable of causing massive
damage, struck Sunday off the Indonesian island Sumatra, and the U.S.
Geological Survey said it was likely to have caused a tsunami.
The survey's Carolyn Bell said the quake was measured at magnitude 7.9
and occurred at 11:28 p.m. local time, or 12:28 p.m. EDT.
The shock was felt strongly at Benjkulu, 70 miles north-northeast of the
epicenter, where it could have caused "major structural damage," she said.
It also was felt as far away as Jakarta, the capital, 335 miles
north-northwest of the center.
Bell said the epicenter was 33 kilometers – almost 20½ miles – beneath
the Earth's surface, very shallow in geological terms.
"It set up a possible tsunami situation in the area of the Indian Ocean,
where there are no warning systems," she said. "If tsunami were going to
happen, it has already happened."
A tsunami is a massive wave caused by an earthquake or volcanic
eruption.
Eleven minutes after the original shock, an aftershock was recorded at
magnitude 6.7, Bell said.
Both the first quake and the aftershock were larger than the largest
temblor in recent years in the area. In 1995, a 6.4 earthquake occurred
there.
© Copyright 2000 The Associated Press
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*********************************************Tsunami Feared Off Island Sumatra
The Associated Press
Sunday, June 4, 2000; 3:33 p.m. EDT
WASHINGTON –– A great earthquake, capable of causing massive
damage, struck Sunday off the Indonesian island Sumatra, and the U.S.
Geological Survey said it was likely to have caused a tsunami.
The survey's Carolyn Bell said the quake was measured at magnitude 7.9
and occurred at 11:28 p.m. local time, or 12:28 p.m. EDT.
The shock was felt strongly at Benjkulu, 70 miles north-northeast of the
epicenter, where it could have caused "major structural damage," she said.
It also was felt as far away as Jakarta, the capital, 335 miles
north-northwest of the center.
Bell said the epicenter was 33 kilometers – almost 20½ miles – beneath
the Earth's surface, very shallow in geological terms.
"It set up a possible tsunami situation in the area of the Indian Ocean,
where there are no warning systems," she said. "If tsunami were going to
happen, it has already happened."
A tsunami is a massive wave caused by an earthquake or volcanic
eruption.
Eleven minutes after the original shock, an aftershock was recorded at
magnitude 6.7, Bell said.
Both the first quake and the aftershock were larger than the largest
temblor in recent years in the area. In 1995, a 6.4 earthquake occurred
there.
© Copyright 2000 The Associated Press
Back to the top