Jakarta [Indonesia], August 23 : An earthquake of magnitude 5.4 struck Indonesia on Saturday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said.
As per the NCS, the earthquake struck at a depth of 58km.
In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 5.4, On: 23/08/2025 17:54:59 IST, Lat: 2.17 N, Long: 96.76 E, Depth: 58 Km, Location: Northern Sumatra, Indonesia."
{{{{twitter_post_id####}}}}EQ of M: 5.4, On: 23/08/2025 17:54:59 IST, Lat: 2.17 N, Long: 96.76 E, Depth: 58 Km, Location: Northern Sumatra, Indonesia.
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— National Center for Seismology (@NCS_Earthquake) August 23, 2025
The majority of large earthquakes occur on or near Earth's tectonic plate boundaries. Tectonic plates are slabs of the Earth's crust that move very slowly over our planet's surface. Indonesia sits along the "Pacific Ring of Fire" where several tectonic plates collide and many volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.
Based on the records of the USGS, Indonesia has had more than 150 earthquakes with magnitude > 7 in the period 1901-2019.
The tectonics of Indonesia are very complex, as it is a meeting point of several tectonic plates. Indonesia is located between two continental plates: the Sahul Shelf and the Sunda Plate; and between two oceanic plates: the Pacific Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate.
The subduction of the Indian Plate beneath the Sunda Plate formed the volcanic arc in western Indonesia, one of the most seismically active areas on the planet with a long history of powerful eruptions and earthquakes. This chain of active volcanoes formed Sumatra, Java, Bali, and the Lesser Sunda Islands, most of which, particularly Java and Bali, emerged within the last 2-3 million years. The Pacific and Sahul plate movements controlled the tectonics of the eastern portion of Indonesia.
Subduction occurs along Southeastern Sumatra and West Java. Sumatra is more active in recent years despite being in the same subduction margin. The reason for the lack of frequent seismic activity over West Java is a problem of time frame and not of tectonic activity. While it may only take a hundred years for a large-scale earthquake to occur off the coast of Sumatra, it may take roughly 500 years off the coast of western Java.
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