2LT International News

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A day after Mount Agung volcano on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali erupted violently, the region has now experienced an earthquake. 

According to Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the earthquake was recorded at 9:19am and was measured a 5.0 on the Richter Scale.

Officials from the department said that the earthquake’s epicenter was below sea in the Indian Ocean at a depth of about 24 km, approximately 110 kilometers south of Denpasar.

The Chief of Earthquake Information and Tsunami Early Warning at BMKG, Daryono said in a statement on Tuesday, “The shallow earthquake was caused by subduction activity that infiltrated the Eurasian plate, precisely the Indian Ocean beneath the forearc basin.”

However, the department categorically clarified that the earthquake felt in Bali was not a result of the island’s erupting volcano. 

Daryono said, “The earthquake was surely tectonic activity and was not related to Mount Agung’s eruption.”

Yet, even as Mount Agung, which the Balinese believe is a replica of the central axis of the universe, erupted violently on Monday, the quake the very next day added to the panic that had gripped residents and tourists.

Bali, which attracts an estimated 5 million tourists annually, was forced to close the main international airport and two other airports in Java, after the volcano spewed columns of volcanic ash and vapor thousands of feet into the sky.

Startled by the quake on Tuesday, residents sought to figure out whether the quake was caused by the violent volcanic eruption. 

The tremors from the earthquake were reportedly felt in Kuta, Badung, Denpasar, and Gianyar. 

Further, local reports noted that vibrations were also felt in Bali’s neighboring island to the east, Lombok.

However, BMKG clarified that a tsunami alert was not raised from the earthquake.

Further, Daryono confirmed that there haven’t been any reports of damage or injuries stemming from the quake.