Magnitude 5.2 Aftershock Jolts Ruteng, East Nusa Tenggara

An earthquake measuring 5.2 magnitude shook Ruteng in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province on Sunday morning, August 16th.

The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported the quake occurred at 06:12 WIB (Western Indonesian Time), with its epicenter located 84 kilometers northeast of Ruteng at a depth of 10 kilometers. The agency confirmed the earthquake does not pose a tsunami risk.

BMKG data indicates that 235 aftershocks were recorded as of Saturday afternoon, following a larger M7.7 earthquake that struck north of Flores Island on the morning of August 15th. These aftershocks have ranged in magnitude from M2.5 to M6.2.

According to BMKG Head Teuku Faisal Fathani, the natural decay process for these aftershocks is estimated to take between two to three weeks, a pattern observed in previous damaging earthquakes in North Maluku. BMKG will continue to monitor the fault's activity in real-time. Fathani explained that the M7.7 mainshock, originating at a shallow depth of 15 kilometers, was triggered by the Flores Back Arc Thrust fault, a geological structure known for its history of destructive earthquakes, including a M7.8 event in 1992.