Community Corner
Tsunami Warnings Issued After 8.6 Sumatra Earthquake
Officials believe this type of earthquake will likely not trigger a wave like that of the 2004 earthquake.
An 8.6-magnitude earthquake hit off the west coast of Sumatra at about 2:50 a.m. Pacific time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake caused authorities of countries in or near the Indian Ocean to issue tsunami watches. A tsunami watch means there is a risk of large waves but not that one is imminent. In fact, geologists believe that waves like those seen following the region's 2004 earthquake are unlikely due to the type of earthquake.
This quake was different from the 2004 quake in that this was what geologists call a strike slip quake, meaning the Earth's plates moved side by side, instead of thrusting upward and displacing water in the way the 2004 quake did.
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Read more about Wednesday morning's quake here, in the latest Huffington Post article posted at the time of this report. (Patch is part of the Huggington Post Media Group.)
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