Magnitude 4.7 Earthquake Shakes Padang, BMKG Attributes It to Mentawai Fault Activity

The city of Padang and its surrounding areas were shaken by a tectonic earthquake on Sunday morning. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported the magnitude 4.7 quake occurred at 09.33 Western Indonesian Time, but confirmed it had no potential to trigger a tsunami.

The Head of the Padang Panjang Geophysics Station, Suaidi Ahadi, stated that based on the epicentre location and hypocentre depth, this event was a shallow earthquake. The trigger was activity on the Mentawai Fault located in the waters off West Sumatra.

“Taking into account the epicentre location and hypocentre depth, the earthquake that occurred was a shallow tectonic earthquake due to Mentawai Fault activity,” Suaidi said in an official statement on Sunday.

The earthquake tremors were felt with varying intensities across several regions. In Padang City, Pariaman, and the Mentawai Islands, vibrations were felt at a scale of II-III MMI. On this scale, light hanging objects sway and vibrations are felt noticeably inside houses, resembling the vibrations of a large passing truck. Meanwhile, other areas such as Padang Panjang, Bukittinggi, Solok, Mukomuko, and West Pasaman felt weaker tremors at a scale of I-II MMI.

Suaidi Ahadi urged the public to remain calm and not be provoked by unaccountable rumours. He stressed the importance of referring to official BMKG information channels, whether through the InfoBMKG application, the website, or verified social media.

“The public is expected to remain calm. As of now, there have been no reports of damage impact,” he concluded.

This incident serves as a reminder that West Sumatra is an active seismic region influenced by the Mentawai subduction zone and the presence of several active faults on the Sumatran mainland.