Tsunami warning in Indian Ocean Region after 6.1 magnitude earthquake strikes off East Timor

After a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of East Timor on Friday, a tsunami warning has been issued in the Indian Ocean region. A tsunami advisory group said that the 6.1-magnitude earthquake may be capable of generating a tsunami.

The US Geological Survey has confirmed that there were no immediate reports of damage. According to US Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at a depth of 51.4 km (32 miles) off the eastern tip of Timor Island. This area lies between East Timor and Indonesia. 

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East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste, is an island nation with Indonesia on the north and Australia on the south. East Timor and Indonesia sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) issued the tsunami warning for the region. This entitles emergency management personnel to evacuate entire tsunami threat zone. Local officials may need to take appropriate measures, such as evacuating low-lying coastal regions and moving ships to deeper waters when it is safe to do so. 

What is a tsunami?

A tsunami is a series of giant waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami.

Out in the depths of the ocean, tsunami waves do not dramatically increase in height. But as the waves travel inland, they build up to higher and higher heights as the depth of the ocean decreases. While tsunamis are often referred to as tidal waves, this name is discouraged by oceanographers because tides have little to do with these giant waves.

Past incidents

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook Indonesia's North Sumatra in February, killing a dozen people.

A 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck Sumatra's shore in 2004, triggering a tsunami that killed 220,000 people across the region, including around 170,000 in Indonesia.