2 Earthquakes jolt Indonesia

An earthquake with an intensity of 5.2 on the Richter scale struck southwest of Talaud Islands in Indonesia's North Sulawesi province on Tuesday. The medium quake struck under the sea in a depth of 5 kilometers, but has no potential to cause a tsunami, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said in Bandar Lampung. The epicenter of the quake lies 58 kilometers southwest of Talaud Islands, 105 kilometers northeast of Manado in North Sulawesi, (Antara) news agency reported. The quake struck in a depth of 27 kilometers. Meanwhile, another earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale jolted Seram Timur district in Maluku Province on Tuesday, Ambon Meteorology and Geophysics Agency spokesman Benny Sipolo said. He said the earthquake, located 72 km southwest of the district at a depth of 27 km, did not have potential to trigger material damage nor tidal waves. "Even the people of Seram Timur district do not feel the magnitude of the earthquake because its epicenter is located quite far from them," Benny said. But he had to make intensive coordination with related parties to anticipate possible aftershock because Maluku is prone to tectonic earthquake and tsunami as it is located at the meeting point of three major plates of the Pacific, Indo Australia, and Eurasia.