Earthquake: Tremors of magnitude 6.2 shake Indonesia's Irian Jaya

An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 on the Richter scale jolted Indonesia's Irian Jaya late at night on Saturday, the National Centre for Seismology reported. The tremors were felt at 22:46:28 IST at a depth of 77 km. According to the NCS, the epicentre of the quake was found to be at Latitude: -3.11 and Longitude: 139.28, respectively.

"Earthquake of Magnitude: 6.2, Occurred on 30-12-2023, 22:46:28 IST, Lat: -3.11 & Long: 139.28, Depth: 77 km, Location: Irian Jaya, Indonesia," the NCS posted on X.

Earthquake of Magnitude:6.2, Occurred on 30-12-2023, 22:46:28 IST, Lat: -3.11 & Long: 139.28, Depth: 77 Km ,Location: Irian Jaya, Indonesia for more information Download the BhooKamp App https://t.co/YBKHmNQNqq @KirenRijiju @Ravi_MoES @Dr_Mishra1966 @ndmaindia @Indiametdept pic.twitter.com/lDh5Tnqf3d

— National Center for Seismology (@NCS_Earthquake) December 30, 2023

Notably, Irian Jaya is a region in Indonesia that was previously known as West Irian and West Papua. No reports of casualties or material damage have surfaced yet. Further details are awaited.

Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis frequently strike Indonesia, a country of more than 270 million people, because of its location on the "Ring of Fire." 

The Ring of Fire, or the Circum-Pacific Belt, is a path along the Pacific Ocean characterised by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. It is a horseshoe-shaped belt about 40,000km long and about 500 km wide that contains two-thirds of the world's total volcanoes and 90 per cent of Earth's earthquakes.