Jakarta, IO – The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has identified a new fault, named ‘Sumedang Fault’, which was the cause of the earthquake in Sumedang on December 31, 2023.
This new fault is said to have never been mapped before. Previously, Sumedang regency was hit by an earthquake measuring 4.8-magnitude with the epicenter at 6.85 degrees south latitude and 107.94 degrees east longitude on land, or to be exact 2 kilometers North East from the center of Sumedang City, West Java, at the depth of 5 kilometers from the earth’s surface, per bmkg.go.id, Tue (9/1).
Based on BMKG analysis, the earthquake began with two foreshocks, which occurred at 14.35 WIB with a 4.1-magnitude and at 15.38 WIB with a magnitude of M3.4, followed by several aftershocks with strengths varying between magnitude 2.4 to 4.5.
The earthquake was classified as a shallow crustal earthquake due to active fault activity, with the source mechanism being a combination of horizontal and upward movement (oblique thrust fault), moving from north to south.
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“The results of monitoring the impact of damage caused by the earthquake visually (macroseismic) and using accelerograph equipment, show that the earthquake shock reached the V-VI MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) intensity scale, which means it was a strong shock and caused damage,” wrote BMKG.
Meanwhile, BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati explained that the Sumedang regency area is an earthquake-prone area with earthquake sources originating from the collision zone of the Indo-Australian and Eurasian Plates in the Indian Ocean, as well as from several active faults on land that have yet to be mapped. (bp)