An earthquake of 5.7 magnitude on the Richter jolted 129km north west of Kota Ternate, Indonesia on February 7, the United States (US) Geological Survey (USGS) said.

An earthquake of 5.7 magnitude on the Richter jolted 129km north west of Kota Ternate, Indonesia on February 7, the United States (US) Geological Survey (USGS) said (Illustrative photo: www.thesundaily.my)

The epicentre, with a depth of 35 km, was initially determined to be at 1.5093 degrees north latitude and 126.4563 degrees east longitude.

Indonesia, one of the most disaster-prone nations on earth, straddles the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide and a large portion of the world’s volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.

In 2004, a big earthquake off the northern Indonesian island of Sumatra triggered a tsunami across the Indian Ocean, killing 220,000 people in 13 countries, including more than 168,000 in Indonesia.

(Source: VNA)