Like Venezuela, Indonesia Has a History of Twin Earthquakes

A member of the Indonesian Association of Disaster Experts (IABI), Daryono, explained that a doublet earthquake is a phenomenon where two large earthquakes occur in close proximity within a relatively short time frame, ranging from seconds to several days. This occurs due to complex fault mechanisms. The main danger of a doublet earthquake lies in the unpredictable accumulation of structural damage. Buildings, bridges, or infrastructure that may still be standing but have suffered significant cracking or weakening from the first shock are often unable to withstand the force of the second tremor. Indonesia has a history of doublet earthquakes, including a magnitude 7.1 quake followed by a magnitude 7.2 in Padang Panjang in June 1926, a magnitude 6.4 followed by a 6.3 in Padang Panjang in March 2007, a magnitude 8.4 followed by a 7.9 in Bengkulu in September 2007 which triggered a tsunami, a magnitude 8.6 followed by an 8.1 in the Indian Ocean west of Aceh in April 2012, and a magnitude 7.0 followed by a 6.9 in Lombok in August 2018.