Big earthquake and Tsunami in Indonesia

Ten-foot to twenty foot tsunami waves were triggered by a 7.5 earthquake in Indonesia on Friday. At least 420 people have been reported dead in the city of Palu.

The number of casualties will likely rise into the thousands.

21 thoughts on “Big earthquake and Tsunami in Indonesia”

  1. I asked a similar question of the US geological service about a year ago. Their response was that the incidence of tectonic activity has not shown an appreciable rise in recent times, but our awareness of this on-going activity is heightened by our access to global media. There seem to be more because we are aware of more, not because there are more.

  2. Is there an increase in deadly tsunamis. I don’t remember there been so many deadly tsunamis when I was younger.

  3. I read that the Tsunami Warning System was damaged by the earthquake because some of the cell towers collapsed.

  4. Well, earthquakes, Indonesia, all that. I really feel for the victims. You would think — and really, not to be heartless, but still – that with their Sunda Disaster, that the ‘mind of the public’ would have people fleeing the coast as soon as any appreciable earthquake hits the area. Maybe they did. Maybe that’s why “only 800+” were killed instead of tens of thousands. LET US HOPE SO. Let us hope that only those killed were the very unfortunate, caught out by the fleeing crowd (the stampede effect in a packed theatre), or from other mishap. As to the earthquake proper, this one was globally unusual, but locally not uncommon: a foreshock of about 6.5 or so, followed a short time later by the Big Jolt of well over 7.3. The little jolt – since when is 6.5 little? Just saying… – was enough to destroy a lot of stuff on its own. People undoubtedly fled the coast in droves, remembering the Great Sunda Aceh Temblor. But the subsequent one is what caused the undersea overthrust fault to displace an ocean. Which — being rather close to the tsunami zone — VERY quickly sent a great wave at the coast. The only(?) or very few videos of the tsunami proper are from one vantage point — an overlook like a covered raised restaurant plaza, and the power of the tsunami was immense. Much more like a “really huge wave” than the experienced-by-video-in-Japan tsunami “harbor wave” of a vast rising tide that rises, and rises, and rises to the destructive disarray of the harbors it invades. I wonder if the Tsunami Warning System was working. No word of that definitive yet. Sadly, GoatGuy

  5. I asked a similar question of the US geological service about a year ago. Their response was that the incidence of tectonic activity has not shown an appreciable rise in recent times but our awareness of this on-going activity is heightened by our access to global media.There seem to be more because we are aware of more not because there are more.

  6. Is there an increase in deadly tsunamis. I don’t remember there been so many deadly tsunamis when I was younger.

  7. I read that the Tsunami Warning System was damaged by the earthquake because some of the cell towers collapsed.

  8. Well earthquakes Indonesia all that. I really feel for the victims. You would think — and really not to be heartless but still – that with their Sunda Disaster that the ‘mind of the public’ would have people fleeing the coast as soon as any appreciable earthquake hits the area. Maybe they did. Maybe that’s why only 800+”” were killed instead of tens of thousands. LET US HOPE SO. Let us hope that only those killed were the very unfortunate”” caught out by the fleeing crowd (the stampede effect in a packed theatre) or from other mishap.As to the earthquake proper this one was globally unusual but locally not uncommon: a foreshock of about 6.5 or so followed a short time later by the Big Jolt of well over 7.3. The little jolt – since when is 6.5 little? Just saying… – was enough to destroy a lot of stuff on its own. People undoubtedly fled the coast in droves remembering the Great Sunda Aceh Temblor. But the subsequent one is what caused the undersea overthrust fault to displace an ocean. Which — being rather close to the tsunami zone — VERY quickly sent a great wave at the coast. The only(?) or very few videos of the tsunami proper are from one vantage point — an overlook like a covered raised restaurant plaza”” and the power of the tsunami was immense. Much more like a “”””really huge wave”””” than the experienced-by-video-in-Japan tsunami “”””harbor wave”””” of a vast rising tide that rises”” and rises and rises to the destructive disarray of the harbors it invades. I wonder if the Tsunami Warning System was working.No word of that definitive yet. Sadly””GoatGuy”””””””

  9. I asked a similar question of the US geological service about a year ago. Their response was that the incidence of tectonic activity has not shown an appreciable rise in recent times, but our awareness of this on-going activity is heightened by our access to global media. There seem to be more because we are aware of more, not because there are more.

  10. I asked a similar question of the US geological service about a year ago. Their response was that the incidence of tectonic activity has not shown an appreciable rise in recent times but our awareness of this on-going activity is heightened by our access to global media.There seem to be more because we are aware of more not because there are more.

  11. Is there an increase in deadly tsunamis. I don’t remember there been so many deadly tsunamis when I was younger.

  12. Is there an increase in deadly tsunamis. I don’t remember there been so many deadly tsunamis when I was younger.

  13. I read that the Tsunami Warning System was damaged by the earthquake because some of the cell towers collapsed.

  14. I read that the Tsunami Warning System was damaged by the earthquake because some of the cell towers collapsed.

  15. Well, earthquakes, Indonesia, all that. I really feel for the victims. You would think — and really, not to be heartless, but still – that with their Sunda Disaster, that the ‘mind of the public’ would have people fleeing the coast as soon as any appreciable earthquake hits the area. Maybe they did. Maybe that’s why “only 800+” were killed instead of tens of thousands. LET US HOPE SO. Let us hope that only those killed were the very unfortunate, caught out by the fleeing crowd (the stampede effect in a packed theatre), or from other mishap. As to the earthquake proper, this one was globally unusual, but locally not uncommon: a foreshock of about 6.5 or so, followed a short time later by the Big Jolt of well over 7.3. The little jolt – since when is 6.5 little? Just saying… – was enough to destroy a lot of stuff on its own. People undoubtedly fled the coast in droves, remembering the Great Sunda Aceh Temblor. But the subsequent one is what caused the undersea overthrust fault to displace an ocean. Which — being rather close to the tsunami zone — VERY quickly sent a great wave at the coast. The only(?) or very few videos of the tsunami proper are from one vantage point — an overlook like a covered raised restaurant plaza, and the power of the tsunami was immense. Much more like a “really huge wave” than the experienced-by-video-in-Japan tsunami “harbor wave” of a vast rising tide that rises, and rises, and rises to the destructive disarray of the harbors it invades. I wonder if the Tsunami Warning System was working. No word of that definitive yet. Sadly, GoatGuy

  16. Well earthquakes Indonesia all that. I really feel for the victims. You would think — and really not to be heartless but still – that with their Sunda Disaster that the ‘mind of the public’ would have people fleeing the coast as soon as any appreciable earthquake hits the area. Maybe they did. Maybe that’s why only 800+”” were killed instead of tens of thousands. LET US HOPE SO. Let us hope that only those killed were the very unfortunate”” caught out by the fleeing crowd (the stampede effect in a packed theatre) or from other mishap.As to the earthquake proper this one was globally unusual but locally not uncommon: a foreshock of about 6.5 or so followed a short time later by the Big Jolt of well over 7.3. The little jolt – since when is 6.5 little? Just saying… – was enough to destroy a lot of stuff on its own. People undoubtedly fled the coast in droves remembering the Great Sunda Aceh Temblor. But the subsequent one is what caused the undersea overthrust fault to displace an ocean. Which — being rather close to the tsunami zone — VERY quickly sent a great wave at the coast. The only(?) or very few videos of the tsunami proper are from one vantage point — an overlook like a covered raised restaurant plaza”” and the power of the tsunami was immense. Much more like a “”””really huge wave”””” than the experienced-by-video-in-Japan tsunami “”””harbor wave”””” of a vast rising tide that rises”” and rises and rises to the destructive disarray of the harbors it invades. I wonder if the Tsunami Warning System was working.No word of that definitive yet. Sadly””GoatGuy”””””””

  17. I asked a similar question of the US geological service about a year ago. Their response was that the incidence of tectonic activity has not shown an appreciable rise in recent times, but our awareness of this on-going activity is heightened by our access to global media.
    There seem to be more because we are aware of more, not because there are more.

  18. Well, earthquakes, Indonesia, all that. I really feel for the victims. You would think — and really, not to be heartless, but still – that with their Sunda Disaster, that the ‘mind of the public’ would have people fleeing the coast as soon as any appreciable earthquake hits the area.

    Maybe they did.
    Maybe that’s why “only 800+” were killed instead of tens of thousands.
    LET US HOPE SO.

    Let us hope that only those killed were the very unfortunate, caught out by the fleeing crowd (the stampede effect in a packed theatre), or from other mishap.

    As to the earthquake proper, this one was globally unusual, but locally not uncommon: a foreshock of about 6.5 or so, followed a short time later by the Big Jolt of well over 7.3.

    The little jolt – since when is 6.5 little? Just saying… – was enough to destroy a lot of stuff on its own. People undoubtedly fled the coast in droves, remembering the Great Sunda Aceh Temblor. But the subsequent one is what caused the undersea overthrust fault to displace an ocean. Which — being rather close to the tsunami zone — VERY quickly sent a great wave at the coast.

    The only(?) or very few videos of the tsunami proper are from one vantage point — an overlook like a covered raised restaurant plaza, and the power of the tsunami was immense. Much more like a “really huge wave” than the experienced-by-video-in-Japan tsunami “harbor wave” of a vast rising tide that rises, and rises, and rises to the destructive disarray of the harbors it invades.

    I wonder if the Tsunami Warning System was working.
    No word of that definitive yet.

    Sadly,
    GoatGuy

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