On August 5, 2018 at 6:46 p.m. local time, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck in Pulau Lombok, Indonesia. The earthquake occurred as the result of thrust faulting at a depth of 10.5 km (6.5 mi) in northern Lombok, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). A tsunami warning was issued, but was lifted after only small waves were recorded. Early reports stated that 98 people were killed and more than 200 injured, as the earthquake caused many buildings to collapse. Some structures that collapsed had already been damaged one week earlier (June 29, 2018) when a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Lombok, killing 17 people and injuring more than 160. Indonesia is located in a very seismically active zone, in which magnitude 5.0 or greater earthquakes were recorded on 17 of 31 days in July 2018. See also: Earthquake; Earthquake engineering; Fault and fault structures; Seismology; Tsunami
