The United States Geological Survey recorded
a Magnitude 5.2 Earthquake at a depth of 50.1 km beneath the island of Sumbawa, in the southern Lesser Sunda Islands, at about 2.25 am local time on Tuesday 29 May 2018 (about 7.26 pm on Monday 28 May GMT). Quakes at this depth are seldom dangerous, but are
often felt over a wide area, and this one was reportedly felt as far away as
Bali in the west.
The approximate location of the 29 May 2018 Sumbawa Earthquake (USGS).
The Lesser Sunda Islands are located on the northern part of the Timor
Microplate. This is trapped between the converging Eurasian and
Australian Plates, both of which are being subducted beneath it. In the
south the Australian Plate is passing under the island of Timor, with
material from the subducted plate melted by the friction and the heat of
the Earth's interior rising through the Timor Plate to feed the
volcanoes of the island. In the north the Eurasian Plate is being
subducted in the same way, feeding the volcanoes there.
The subduction zones beneath the Timor Microplate. Hamson (2004).
Witness
accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events,
and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit
organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.
See also...
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