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A MINOR tsunami measuring 5–7 centimeters struck the waters off Talaud, North Sulawesi, on Friday morning after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake off the coast of the Philippines, Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported.
According to Daryono, Director of Earthquakes and Tsunamis at BMKG, said the tsunami was recorded by the agency’s sea-level monitoring instruments, or tsunami gauges, at several locations across the Talaud Islands.
“BMKG’s tsunami gauge in Beo, Talaud, recorded a wave height of 7 centimeters, while another in Essang measured 5 centimeters, along with several other points,” he said in a statement.
He explained that the sea-level rise was caused by a minor tsunami triggered by a shallow earthquake in the Philippine Sea subduction zone.
“Yes, it is a tsunami, but we refer to it as a minor tsunami,” Daryono clarified.
The quake occurred at 08:43:58 local time (UTC+7) with an epicenter at 7.23° North Latitude and 126.83° East Longitude — about 275 kilometers northwest of Karatung Island, North Sulawesi — at a depth of 58 kilometers.
Based on source mechanism analysis, the quake resulted from thrust fault activity in the Philippine Sea subduction zone.
Following the tremor, BMKG issued a tsunami advisory for several coastal areas, including the Talaud Islands, Bitung City, southern North Minahasa, southern Minahasa, and Supiori in Papua.
Authorities advised residents in coastal areas to stay alert but not panic, and to follow official updates from the government and local authorities until the tsunami warning is lifted. [antaranews]
