Update: Huge 8.6 Mb & 8.2 Mb Earthquakes Off Sumatra, Indonesia, Tsunami Watch Lifted

Twin Earthquakes Hit Northern Sumatra, Tsunami Cancelled As Minor Waves Reached Indonesia

Iloilo City, Philippines, 12 April 2012, (1730Z)--A World in shock as gigantic "Seismic Upheaval," has yet again struck Sumatra in Indonesia today, sending people running for their lives across several Southeast Asian countries in fear of another "Tsunami" onslaught.  


On 11 April 2012, a major jolt was recorded to have reached a massive 8.9 Mb preliminary estimates by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), where in the later hours, it was downgraded to 8.7 Mb, 31 km beneath the surface, considered as "Very shallow."

Fig. 1.0 "A sudden release of tension--an undersea Strike-slip Earthquake has yet again struck the volatile, and  Seismically active fault lines along the Sunda Subduction Zone off Sumatra, Indonesia, sending off a whopping 8.7 Mb Temblor widely felt across the rest of Southeast Asia and the Indian Subcontinent.  Image Credit: PTWC."

The Temblor has occurred at around 0839Z, where most estimates pegged at 0838.35Z, that is 1538.35PM in Medan, Indonesia, (0438.35PM-PHL), at about 2.3N-93.1E or 626 km Southwest of it, where a population reaching 1,750,971 more or less thrive in the city, or 426 km Southwest of Banda Aceh, with population of 250,757.

Fig. 2.0 "This graphical representation would give you an idea on how large the Twin Temblors are and how closely together they occurred in a span of 2 hours.  Image Credit: UNEC."

Reports are coming in that there has been violent shaking which resulted to evacuation of people en masse, seeking higher grounds fearing yet another nightmare wrought about by numerous "Tsunami" incidence across the Sumatran coast since 26 December 2004, that was the "Great 9.1 Mb Sumatran Earthquake," which occurred on a 1,400 km stretch of undersea rupture, called "Subduction," by the experts from around the world.  

Fig. 3.0 "People are panicking outside the malls in Northern Malaysia as strong jolts have been shaking the region in the light of the ongoing seismicity along Sumatra, Indonesia.  Image Credit: Unknown."

In Meulaboh, Indonesia, a 1.06 m (3.5 ft) was recorded at coastal tide gauges.  At the moment, there had been three (3) deaths, and hundreds injured.  More updates coming in that panic and massive traffic jams in Aceh Province immediately after the major jolt, and also, people were sent running for dear life across tremor-hit regions of Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and India.  Most of the people went to higher ground in anticipation of an ensuing Indian Ocean-wide "Tsunamis."

The highest "Tsunami waves" has struck Suak Uleue, Indonesia at 6.0 m (20 ft) at about 01.26 hrs after the seismic event has commenced off the Northern Sumatran coast along the Sunda Trench.



A maximum read of a "Tsunami," wave height of 1.8 m (6 ft) was recorded in Naibos, Indonesia at around 01.08 hrs after the initial 8.7 Mb event.




According to some of my researches since the 2004 "Boxing Day Tsunami," the energy of the waves involved are just staggering according to its length from crest to crest, which accords to several hundred kilometers or more, where most of the ocean-going vessels may not even know it has come across below it and could exceed the speed of a jetliner, reaching a whopping 970 km/hr (600 mi/hr) at the most in several feet below the water mark.

Fig. 4.0 "This is an official estimated TOA of the Tsunami waves Indian Ocean-wide as far-reaching the North Atlantic Basin.  Image Credit: WCATWC."

These unusual tidal surges and receding are also referred to as geologic events caused by "Seismic Upheavals," which generate "Seismic sea waves," where scientists from across the globe attribute its generation from Earthquake-related mechanism.



The mechanisms involved in such event, by international standards, a "Tsunami," pronounced (soo-NAH-mee), are generally referred to as a series of waves that extends a wide stretch of long wave length generated in a particular body of water, with such herculean force involving a "Rippling effect," of gargantuan proportions that creates a pool of disturbance of water, called "Displacement," which are commonly caused by Earthquakes, as one of the massive forces of nature that decimates or obliterates everything along its immediate path.

Other potential sources of a "Tsunami," are huge Landslides, volcanic eruptions, nuclear explosions, asteriod impacts, or comets and large meteors coming from the outer space that could generate an immense explosion on impact, equivalent to that of hundreds of megatons of nuclear energy that causes the seas and oceans to rise rapidly and fall with such a momentum that give rise to the devastating forces of such a cataclysmic event.


So, the question now is that, when does a massive "Tsunami," wave become lethal?  The answer would be that during its final approach along a shallow stretch of a particular coastline, the "Tsunami" waves eases, pulling back, gaining momentum and reaching a height as it diminishes in acceleration, the waves grow even higher along the shallower banks, wherein during the 2004 "Boxing Day Tsunami," it has peaked at the highest mark in Simuelue Island, a mind-boggling 37 m (123 ft), with devastating succession, just less than 3 minutes from impact, which has killed more than 273,000 people across 14 countries.


This has been your Weatherguy hailing from the Philippines, Mabuhay! =)


With data from WCATWC, PTWC, USGS, Westernpacificweather.com
(Note: If you have queries, email me at amanzan@smartbro.net or through weatherguyadonis@theboplive.net)

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