On 21 November 2022, at 13:21 WIB ( UTC+07:00), a 5.6

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

struck near

Cianjur Cianjur ( su, ᮎᮤᮃᮔ᮪ᮏᮥᮁ) is a town and district in the West Java province of Indonesia, and is the seat of Cianjur Regency. The district of Cianjur is located along one of the main roads between Jakarta (120 km to the north ...

West Java West Java ( id, Jawa Barat, su, ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized ''Jawa Kulon'') is a province of Indonesia on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Bante ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. Between 335 and 635 people died, 7,729 were injured and 5 remain missing. More than 62,628 homes were damaged across 16 districts in Cianjur Regency and the surrounding region. The earthquake was strongly felt in Jakarta. It is the deadliest earthquake to hit Indonesia since the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake. Damage evaluated after the event earned it a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VIII (''Severe'').

Tectonic setting

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

lies near an active

convergent boundary A convergent boundary (also known as a destructive boundary) is an area on Earth where two or more lithospheric plates collide. One plate eventually slides beneath the other, a process known as subduction. The subduction zone can be defined by a ...

that separates the

Sunda Plate The Sunda Plate is a minor tectonic plate straddling the Equator in the Eastern Hemisphere on which the majority of Southeast Asia is located. The Sunda Plate was formerly considered a part of the Eurasian Plate, but the GPS measurements have ...

to the north and the

Australian Plate The Australian Plate is a major tectonic plate in the eastern and, largely, southern hemispheres. Originally a part of the ancient continent of Gondwana, Australia remained connected to India and Antarctica until approximately when India broke ...

to the south. At the boundary, marked by the

Sunda Trench The Sunda Trench, earlier known as and sometimes still indicated as the Java Trench, is an oceanic trench located in the Indian Ocean near Sumatra, formed where the Australian- Capricorn plates subduct under a part of the Eurasian Plate. It is ...

, the northward-moving Australian Plate subducts beneath the Sunda Plate. The subduction zone is capable of generating earthquakes of up to magnitude 8.7, while the Australian Plate may also host deeper earthquakes within the downgoing lithosphere ( intraslab earthquakes) beneath the coast of Java. The subduction zone produced two destructive earthquakes and tsunamis in 2006 and

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson Ma ...

. An intraslab earthquake in 2009 also caused severe destruction. Compared to the highly oblique convergence across the plate boundary in Sumatra, near Java, it is close to orthogonal. However, there is still a small component of left-lateral strike-slip that is accommodated within the over-riding Sunda Plate. The Cimandiri Fault is one of the structures thought to be responsible. Field investigations, combined with morphometric analysis show that the Cimandiri Fault zone is a relatively broad zone of faulting and folding, with six segments identified. Older parts of the fault zone show evidence of dominant left-lateral strike-slip, while younger parts show mainly oblique slip, with a mixture of reverse faulting and left-lateral strike-slip.

Earthquake

Earthquakes have been recorded in Cianjur since 1844. In 1910, 1912, 1958, 1982 and 2000, earthquakes caused damage and casualties in the area. Cianjur was also affected by an 1879 earthquake that claimed lives. Shallow inland earthquakes in Java are infrequent but deadly. In 1924, near Wonosobo, about 800 people died from two earthquakes. Four other earthquakes in the 20th century caused between 10 and 100 deaths. The

2006 Yogyakarta earthquake The 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake (also known as the Bantul earthquake) occurred at with a moment magnitude of 6.4 and a maximum MSK intensity of VIII (''Damaging''). Several factors led to a disproportionate amount of damage and number of casual ...

was a shallow crustal earthquake that left 5,749 people dead.

Geology

According to the

Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency ( id, Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika, abbreviated BMKG) is an Indonesian non-departmental government agency for meteorology, climatology, and geophysics. History Its history began ...

(BMKG), the earthquake occurred at a depth of , classifying it as a shallow event. It had a strike-slip

focal mechanism The focal mechanism of an earthquake describes the deformation in the source region that generates the seismic waves. In the case of a fault-related event it refers to the orientation of the fault plane that slipped and the slip vector and ...

, The

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

(USGS) stated that the earthquake occurred as a result of strike-slip faulting within the crust of the Sunda Plate. Focal mechanisms indicate that the rupture occurred on either a steeply dipping north–striking, right-lateral strike-slip fault, or a steeply dipping east-striking left-lateral strike-slip fault. Its location is northeast of the subduction zone. The Cimandiri Fault or Padalarang Fault may be potential sources of the earthquake. The Cimandiri Fault is long and runs along the Mandiri River. It stretches from Palabuhanratu Bay to

Cianjur Regency Cianjur Regency is a regency ''(kabupaten)'' of West Java, Indonesia. The area of the regency is 3,614.35 km2 and its population at the 2010 Census was 2,171,281; the 2020 Census produced a total of 2,477,560 and the official estimate as at mi ...

. It is a strike-slip fault with a small vertical component along the section from Palabuhanratu Bay to southeast of

Sukabumi , nickname = id, Kota Santri en, City of Learners , image_map = Map of West Java highlighting Sukabumi City.svg , map_caption = Location within West Java , mapsize = , pushpin_map = Ind ...

. Along with the

Lembang Lembang is a town and administrative village of West Bandung Regency in the province of West Java on Java, Indonesia. The town has about 17,000 inhabitants (at census 2010). The population of the Lembang District was 173,350 at the 2010 Census. ...

and Baribis Faults, these structures can generate damaging earthquakes. An engineering geology professor at

Padjadjaran University Padjadjaran University id, Universitas Padjajaran, abbreviated as UNPAD) is a public university located in Sumedang Regency and Bandung, which is the provincial capital of West Java, Indonesia. It was established on September 11, 1957. UNPAD has ...

said the epicenter location, from the Cimandiri Fault trace, makes it an unlikely source. The possible source fault was one that had been buried under volcanic deposits from

Mount Gede Mount Gede or Gunung Gede (''Big Mountain'' in Sundanese) is a stratovolcano in West Java, Indonesia. The volcano contains two peaks with Mount Gede as one peak and Mount Pangrango for the other one. Three major cities, Cianjur, Sukabumi and B ...

. On 9 December, the BMKG revealed a previously unknown fault in Cugenang District, now called the Cugenang Fault, was the source of the earthquake. The newly identified -long fault strikes north-northwest–south-southeast, and displays a right-lateral strike-slip focal mechanism. Due to its moderate magnitude, no surface ruptures were produced. However, an analysis of the aftershocks revealed a fault rupture extending northeast–southwest for and wide. The greatest damage occurred in areas along the rupture while lighter damage occurred further away. By 9 December, more than 400

aftershock In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in the same area of the main shock, caused as the displaced crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthquakes can have hundreds to thousand ...

s with magnitudes between 1.2 and 4.2 had been recorded—some were felt by residents.

Ground motion

The earthquake had a maximum

Modified Mercalli intensity The Modified Mercalli intensity scale (MM, MMI, or MCS), developed from Giuseppe Mercalli's Mercalli intensity scale of 1902, is a seismic intensity scale used for measuring the intensity of shaking produced by an earthquake. It measures the effe ...

of VIII (''Severe'') in an area southeast of the epicenter and striking northeast–southwest. Intensity VI–VII (''Strong''–''Very strong'') was felt in Cianjur while an intensity of IV–V (''Light''–''Moderate'') was felt at

Garut Garut is a district and town in West Java of Indonesia, and the former capital of Garut Regency. It is located about 75 km to the southeast of the major city of Bandung. History The modern history of Garut started on March 2, 1811 when Balu ...

and Sukabumi. In

Cimahi Cimahi () is a landlocked city located immediately west of the larger city of Bandung, in West Java Province, Indonesia and within the Bandung Metropolitan Area. It covers an area of 40.37 km2 and had a population at the 2010 Census of 541, ...

, Bandung City, Cikalong Wetan, Rangkasbitung,

Bogor Bogor ( su, , nl, Buitenzorg) is a city in the West Java province, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.Bayah, the earthquake was felt at an intensity of III (''Weak''). Intensity II–III (''Weak'') was felt in the Rancaekek,

South Tangerang South Tangerang is a city in the province of Banten, Indonesia. Located on the southwestern border of Jakarta, the city forms part of the Greater Jakarta metropolitan area. It was administratively separated from Tangerang Regency on November 26, ...

, Jakarta and

Depok en, Starfruit City , motto = ''Pariraca Darma''(Servant of the righteousness) , image_map = Map of West Java highlighting Depok City.svg , mapsize = , map_caption ...

areas. A field investigation of damage in Cianjur Regency by the

Volcanological Survey of Indonesia Volcanological Survey of Indonesia is the official Indonesian government agency under Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources which are responsible for investigating, recording, and warning about volcanoes within the Indonesian region of responsib ...

revealed the greatest damage occurred above volcanic breccia deposited by Mount Gede. The severity of building damage in Cugenang District, particularly in the villages of Gasol and Sarampad, led geologists to assign a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of VII–VIII. Damage corresponding to VII also occurred in Cianjur, Warungkondang and Gekbrong districts. A maximum peak ground acceleration of 0.145 ''g'' in the east–west component.

Impact

Despite the moderate size of the earthquake, its shallow depth caused strong shaking. Earthquakes of such size are usually associated with relatively minor damage but the shallow depth and poor construction factored in the destruction. The National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB) stated that the extent of damage to homes and buildings was still being assessed, but described the damage as "massive". Damage occurred in 16 of the 32 districts of Cianjur Regency—Cugenang District was the worst affected. Cianjur earthquake damage 2

The total cost of damage was Rp 4 trillion. At least 62,628 homes were damaged, including 27,434 homes which were heavily damaged. At least 13,070 and 22,124 homes had moderate and light damage, respectively. At least 524 schools, 144 religious locations, 13 offices and three health facilities were also damaged. A shopping mall collapsed. Two government office buildings, three schools, a hospital, a religious facility and an Islamic boarding school were damaged. The Ministry of Religious Affairs stated 21 mosques were damaged. In Cilaku District, many buildings with two or three floors were heavily damaged, and a minimart completely collapsed. Landslides cut off roads. A landslide along Puncak-Cipanas-Cianjur national road forced a traffic diversion. Toppled trees, uprooted power poles and downed power cables also occurred along roads. The

Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Kementerian Energi dan Sumber Daya Mineral Republik Indonesia, ) is an Indonesian ministry responsible for providing assistance to the President and Vice President i ...

said two landslides occurred in Cugenang District. One measured and high while the latter measured and high. A village in Cugenang with eight homes was completely buried under a landslide. Landslides occurred in areas composed of weal volcanic soil. Power outages affected more than 366,000 homes, of which 89 percent were already restored. At least 681 homes, six schools and 10 religious buildings were damaged in

Sukabumi Regency Sukabumi Regency ( id, Kabupaten Sukabumi; Sundanese: ) is a regency ''(kabupaten)'' in southwestern Java, as part of West Java province of Indonesia. The regency seat is located in Palabuhan Ratu, a coastal district facing the Indian Ocean. Th ...

. No deaths were recorded there, although 11 people were injured and 58 families were displaced. In Caringin Subdistrict,

Lebak Regency Lebak Regency is a regency of Banten province, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Java. The regency has an area of 3,305.072 km2 and had a population of 1,204,095 at the 2010 census and 1,386,793 at the 2020 census; the official estima ...

, two schools and 89 houses were damaged, and a person was injured. Seventy eight homes, a

madrasah Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

, and an Islamic boarding school were damaged in Bogor Regency. The earthquake was felt strongly in Jakarta, Indonesia's capital, causing residents to flock to the streets. High-rise buildings swayed and were evacuated. Cracks appeared on an apartment building in

Ancol Ancol ( nl, Antjol, zh, 安恤) is a coastal lowland area located to the east of Kota Tua Jakarta in northern Jakarta, in Indonesia. The coastal lowland stretched from Kota Tua Jakarta to the west and Tanjung Priok to the east. Today, Ancol conta ...

North Jakarta North Jakarta ( id, Jakarta Utara; bew, Jakarte Belilir) is one of the five administrative cities (''kota administrasi'') which form Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia. North Jakarta is not self-governed and does not have a city cou ...

Casualties

There were 335 confirmed deaths according to the BNPB, 165 of them had been successfully identified. The regent of Cianjur, Herman Suherman, claimed the total death toll was 635. He said many deaths went unreported as they were immediately buried by relatives for religious reasons and did not report these deaths. According to him, Cugenang District saw 397 deaths—the most number of deaths among the 13 districts affected. In Cianjur District, 78 died and 50 died in Warungkondang District. The BNPB said on 13 December that additional verifications and reevaluations would be carried out to address the discrepancy in the death toll. The agency said if deaths were not recorded and no death certificate is presented, the individual would not be considered deceased. Most of the deaths were caused by collapsing buildings. A majority were students of several schools who died after being hit by falling debris. The BNPB revealed more that one third of those killed were children. In Cikancana, a village in Gekbrong District, six students died from head injuries. The bodies of ten people were found beneath a landslide in Cugenang District. More than 30 people were killed by a landslide in Cijedil village. A further 7,729 people were injured. Of the 7,729, 593 of them were in serious condition, 59 were still treated in hospitals. Five people remained missing, possibly buried under collapsed structures. Dozens of students were injured by falling debris at their schools. The injured were taken to the four hospitals around Cianjur. Due to a large number of injured arriving at Cianjur Hospital, a field hospital was constructed in the parking lot. At Cimacan Hospital, 237 people received treatment—150 were released while 13 others died. A further 114,683 people were displaced.

Search and rescue

A state of emergency was declared for 30 days from 21 November to 20 December. About 6,000 rescuers were deployed. The Indonesian Medical Association mobilized 200 doctors, while the

National Search and Rescue Agency The National Search and Rescue Agency ( id, Badan Nasional Pencarian dan Pertolongan, literally translated Search and Rescue National Agency; formerly named ''Badan SAR Nasional'', both abbreviated Basarnas) is a government agency of Indonesia. ...

mobilized personnel and equipment to five affected areas. Search and rescue teams were deployed to locate the missing. Helicopters conducted aerial surveys and evacuated people. As many as 796 personnel were distributed across 12 districts to search for missing individuals. The governor of West Java,

Ridwan Kamil Mochamad Ridwan Kamil (born 4 October 1971) is an Indonesian architect and politician who is the 15th Governor of West Java, the most populous province of Indonesia. He was also the mayor of Bandung from 2013 to 2018. As an architect, he design ...

, called for the Jabar Quick Response Team to respond. The team would arrive in the Cugenang, Warung Kondang, and Pacet Cipanas areas of Cianjur Regency. Heavy rain and the risk of landslides have slowed down search and rescue work. Aftershocks also raised the potential for landslides to be triggered. On 23 November, rescuers attended to Cugenang, where a village was buried by a landslide. A six-year-old was rescued alive after being trapped under his collapsed home for two days. On 24 November, over 1,000 rescuers used rescue dogs, heavy equipment and their bare hands to quicken the search for the missing. The Cianjur Regency government established a response effort that would continue until 30 December 2022. Rain and landslides continue to disrupt the search for the 39 missing individuals. The BNPB said heavy equipment would be deployed to the village but its use could endanger potential survivors and road conditions were still unfavorable. Search for the missing continued on 25 November—472 personnel and two rescue dogs participated in the effort at Cugenang District. Seven bodies were discovered in a landslide in the same district that day. On 26 November, eight additional bodies were found. The search for missing people was scheduled to end on 30 November, but was extended to 3 December after more reports of missing individuals arrived. On 4 December, the regency government discussed plans to extend the search by three days. The

announced plans to extend the search for the eight missing people to 20 December.

Aftermath

Survivors in Cianjur constructed makeshift tents in public spaces or their yards. On 22 November, a survivor stated that they were still self-dependent because no assistance has been given. For fear of aftershocks, residents did not return to their homes. In Pamoyanan village, Cianjur District, 150 residents spent the night under a

pavilion In architecture, ''pavilion'' has several meanings: * It may be a subsidiary building that is either positioned separately or as an attachment to a main building. Often it is associated with pleasure. In palaces and traditional mansions of Asia ...

. Others slept along roadsides or under the overhangs of shops. Food was still unavailable on the morning of 22 November. According to the BNPB, homes that were damaged will be reconstructed with earthquake resistance. The Ministry of Public Works and Housing mobilized personnel and heavy equipment to clear trees and landslide debris on roads. Electricity was cut from Cianjur District.

Perusahaan Listrik Negara PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (Persero) ( 'State Electricity Company', abbreviated as PLN) is an Indonesian government-owned corporation which has a monopoly on electric power distribution in Indonesia and generates the majority of the country' ...

(PLN) workers were deployed to restore power to 366,675 customers after the earthquake affected 1,957 substations. By the morning of 22 November, 1,802 substations were functioning and electricity was restored in 89 percent of the area. On 29 November, officials in Cianjur Regency reported 2,000 cases of acute respiratory infection, hypertension and diarrhea among the displaced people. On 3 December, another earthquake measuring 5.7 struck

Garut Regency Garut Regency is a Regency in the West Java province of Indonesia. It covers an area of 3,065.19 km2 (1,186.91 mi2). Geographically, it lies between 6°57′34″ – 7°44′57″ South latitude and 107°24′34&P ...

. Both earthquakes were unrelated as they occurred at different focal depths. In Cianjur, cracks appeared on walls and windows broke.

Reconstruction

The Indonesian government allocated Rp 50 million for reconstructing earthquake-resistant homes. Homes that were moderately or lightly damaged would be repaired through a Rp10 million assistance fund. Reconstruction and repair works are planned to be undertaken by the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing. While not all the displaced had severely damaged homes, but many fled due to the aftershocks. On 25 November, data collection on the number of damaged houses was ongoing. Preparations for reconstruction began—residents were evacuated and the search for missing people continued. Reconstruction would be funded by government ministries and the provincial government. A 2-hectare zone in Sirnagalih village, Cilaku District was allocated for the construction of 200 homes to relocate displaced residents.

Muhadjir Effendy Muhadjir Effendy (born 29 July 1956) is an Indonesian politician and rector. He is the minister of education and culture of the Republic of Indonesia in the Working Cabinet. He was appointed by President Joko Widodo on 27 July 2016 replacing A ...

, the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs, said 8,341 damaged homes would be repaired in the first phase of reconstruction. With the identification of the Cugenang Fault, the BMKG said the 1,800 homes in several villages where the structure intersects would have to be relocated. The BMKG prohibited the reconstruction of homes along the fault due to the present seismic hazard it poses.

Response

President

Joko Widodo Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), popularly known as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician and businessman who is the 7th and current president of Indonesia. Elected in July 2014, he was the first Indonesian president not to come from an elit ...

directed the minister of public works and housing,

Basuki Hadimuljono Mochamad Basuki Hadimuljono (born 5 November 1954) is an Indonesian bureaucrat who currently serves as the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing under Joko Widodo. Before his appointment as minister, he had worked for the Indonesian Ministry ...

, to survey the damage. Basuki arrived in Cianjur Regency on 21 November at 21:45. According to President Widodo, residents whose homes were heavily and moderately damaged would receive Rp 50 million and Rp 25 million in assistance, respectively. Rp 10 million would be given to homes with light damage. The BMKG urged residents to be wary of potential flash floods and rain due to unstable slopes. The agency's head, Dwikorita Karnawati, stated that materials on unstable slopes could be washed away, triggering floods and landslides. Residents were also advised not to visit slopes and riverbanks due to the risk of flash floods. Thirty five personnel including five health professionals from Husein Sastranegara Air Force Base visited the affected area. The base also supplied food, medicine, kitchen appliances and logistics. More than 1,000 soldiers from nearby units were dispatched to the area. Due to landslides blocking roads and cutting road access to some villages, helicopters were dispatched to drop food and water. While delivering aid to survivors across a bamboo bridge on 6 December, a police officer fell into a river and sustained light injuries. The government of

West Jakarta West Jakarta ( bew, Jakarte Bekulon; id, Jakarta Barat) is one of the five administrative cities of the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, Indonesia. West Jakarta is not self-governed and does not have a city council, hence it is not classified a ...

donated Rp 250 million in aid, and other local companies also donated aid, totaling Rp 500 million. On 7 December, an accident involving a pickup truck delivering aid and bus occurred along the

Cikopo–Palimanan Toll Road The Cikopo–Palimanan Toll Road (shortened to Cipali Toll Road) is a toll road that connects Cikopo with Palimanan in the province of West Java, Indonesia. Being a part of the Trans-Java Toll Road, it was opened on 13 June 2015. At in length, ...

in Kalijati District, killing a person.

International aid

References

Notes

Citations

External links

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M 5.6 - JAVA, INDONESIA - 2022-11-21 06:21:11 UTC
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European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC; french: Centre Sismologique Euro-Méditerranéen, ) is an international, non-governmental and not-for-profit organisation. The European-Mediterranean region is prone to destructive earthquak ...

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