Photo Credit: United States Geological Survey

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia on March 2^nd, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

According to “Earthquake Track,” the earthquake occurred 807 km away from Pariaman, West Sumatra, Indonesia. In addition to this, many aftershocks have also been reported, ranging anywhere between 4.4 and 5.5 magnitude.

After the earthquake, a tsunami warning was issued, only to be taken down within the day, according to Euronews.

According to The New York Times, the quake has not caused much damage and there have been no reported deaths or major damage.

While the earthquake did not cause much harm, The Wall Street Journal reports that it brought “gaps in the tsunami-warning system” to light. The country has 22 warning buoys in place to warn for a tsunami. After the earthquake, Indonesia’s disaster agency said that all 22 of the buoys were not functioning.

According to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesperson for the disaster agency, “The tsunami buoys have been damaged by vandalism, and a there is a lack of funds for maintenance.”

Although the earthquake was not responsible for much physical destruction, the threat of a tsunami, paired with the nation’s inability to predict one, certainly caused a scare in the people on the coast.

By Kaitlyn Brown ’19, Staff Writer