East Java Earthquake and Tsunami of June 3, 1994.

2006-09-04T02:13:00.000-07:00

Java is situated in a tectonic subduction zone, where the Indo-Australian Plate is moving northward, sliding under the Eurasian Plate at a rate of 67 mm/yr. Occasionally, however, the tectonic plate suddenly slips a much greater distance, resulting in an earthquake. In 1994, a major earthquake, registering 7.2 on the Richter Scale, occurred in the Java Trench, 205 km SW of G-Land. The quake triggered a tsunami, which swept through the surf camp about 40 minutes later [1]. The runup at G-Land was estimated to have been as high as 5.6 meters. No lives were lost at G-Land. However, 223 people perished further west, where the villages of Rajekwesi, Pancer and Lampon were almost completely levelled by the tsunami [2].

Surfer John Philbin was at G-Land on the night of the tsunami. He described hearing the surf and thinking it must be big. "But when the roar grew louder, I sat up inside my mosquito net, and just as I did, a churning wall of water blew through my hut." Richie Lovett described the experience as "being hit by a train at full speed". Richard Marsh initially thought a tiger was attacking them, but then realized it was a wave. Marsh and Lovett were swept hundreds of feet into the jungle by the wave. "I was completely panicking. It was a matter of surviving, just grabbing onto things to stay above the water, trying to keep all the debris away from my head and, above all, to get a breath." Marsh said. Lovett had to be returned to Australia for medical attention. "The hut had disappeared and I was entwined in logs and trees and bits of bamboo. When the water started to subside. I was stuck with my legs pinned under a whole lot of logs and rubbish."

The other surfers visiting G-Land when the tsunami struck were Monty Webber, Gerald Saunders, Rob Bain, Shanne Herring, Simon Law and Neal Purchase.

Facts and figures documented by the Tsunami Survey Team.

References

Tsuji et al. "Field Survey of the East Java Earthquake and Tsunami of June 3, 1994." Pure and Applied Geophysics. 144.3/4 (1995)
Maramai1, A. et al. "The 3 June 1994 Java Tsunami: A Post-Event Survey of the Coastal Effects" Natural Hazards. Volume 15, Number 1, pp 31-49 (January 1997)

Tsunami strikes G-Land

East Java Earthquake and Tsunami of June 3, 1994.