Magnitude 6.8 earthquake rocks Indonesia’s Sumatra Island

msnbc ^ | 7/4/05 | msnbc

[minus_273]

JAKARTA, Indoneisa - A strong earthquake rocked a large swath of Indonesia’s Sumatra Island on Tuesday, shaking buildings and causing panic, witnesses and a meteorological official said. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

The U.S. Geological Survey issued a preliminary report saying the quake measured 6.8. It struck off the west coast of the island at 8:52 a.m. local time and was “strongly felt,” across west Sumatra and outlying islands, said Budi Waluyu, from the government’s geophysical and meteorological agency.

Callers to el-Shinta radio station from Medan, a large city on Sumatra, said tall buildings shook and some residents ran from their homes.

[minus_273]

how long before someone sues the US for damage and loss of life

[Palladin]

Here we go again...

[nhoward14]

If this house is rockin', don't bother knockin'...

[deport]

Bush/Clinton are on their way.......

[dc-zoo]

I was wondering if anyone was going to post this story. Almost did so myself. This appears to be a very late aftershock of the Christmas quake. These poor people have suffered enough. What a mess.

[JimSEA]

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Maps/10/95_0.html

Located southwest of the Toba fault which parallels the trench. Those poor folks must be quite sick of this by now though they don't live in a part of the world to be squeamish about earth movements.

[JimSEA]

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/Maps/10/95_0.html

Located southwest of the Toba fault which parallels the trench. Those poor folks must be quite sick of this by now though they don't live in a part of the world to be squeamish about earth movements.

[injin]

one day Lake Toba's gunna blow.....

[TASMANIANRED]

The Big One in the New Madrid quake continued for 3 months.

The first in December 1811, the really big one didn't come until February.

This may not be after shocks as much as pre shocks.

[Altair333]

It would be shocking if Toba's magma chamber were anywhere close to full, considering that it had one of the largest eruptions in history only 70,000 years ago. Yellowstone is a bigger threat to erupt- it's magma chamber could be full.

[Keith in Iowa]

>>>Here we go again...

There goes the coffee price again...

[Strategerist]

This appears to be a very late aftershock of the Christmas quake.

Very late? It's actually an early aftershock in the grand scheme of things (and actually it's an aftershock of the March 8.7 quake anyway.)

Both the December and March quakes are going to be having aftershocks like this for at LEAST another three years.

[Strategerist]

There isn't the slightest indication of any Toba eruption, in fact there's currently no activity at any Sumatran volcanoes.

[dc-zoo]

Damn.. I didn't think they lasted that long. I was categorizing the 8.7 as an aftershock also. Didn't know there were aftershocks to aftershocks.