Indonesia, Islam's most populated country, has been struck by a major earthquake, and a major after-shock, again.
The 8.6 magnitude earthquake centered 20 miles beneath the ocean floor out in the Indian Ocean. A strong aftershock followed, measuring 8.2. The aftershock prompted a tsunami warning, but the tsunami never came. The earthquake was triggered by a strike-slip, where the earth moves horizontally, rather than than the vertical thrust needed to displace large volumes of water.
Though chaos ensued when the first quake began to rattle, sending people to dive for cover or go outside, and cutting electricity in some places, the damage was minimal. The fears are understandable, because the memory of the giant 9.1 magnitude earthquake on Dec. 26, 2004, which triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed 230,000 people, is still fresh in their minds.
Indonesia issues new tsunami alert for aftershock - Associated Press/Yahoo News
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