HOLOPIS.COM, JAKARTA – A viral video predicting that Indonesia could be hit by a magnitude 9 earthquake has sparked public concern on social media. However, the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has stressed that earthquakes cannot yet be predicted precisely in terms of when and where they will occur.
The video features Canadian weather enthusiast Frankie MacDonald, who reportedly said that Indonesia could potentially experience an earthquake ranging between magnitude 7 and magnitude 9.
The claim quickly spread across social media, raising concerns among Indonesians. Indonesia is known as one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries due to its geographical location and high levels of seismic activity.
BMKG has urged the public not to panic or immediately believe information circulating online. BMKG’s Director of Earthquakes and Tsunamis, Wijayanto, stressed that scientists are still unable to accurately predict the exact timing and location of an earthquake.
“Indonesia is an earthquake-prone region. Earthquakes can happen at any time, and they cannot yet be predicted precisely in terms of when and where they will occur,” Wijayanto told reporters, reported by Holopis.com, on Tuesday (8/9).
He urged the public to remain calm while staying alert. People were also advised not to be easily influenced by unverified information, particularly claims circulating on social media.
According to Wijayanto, Indonesia does face earthquake threats from several sources, including megathrust zones and active faults.
However, the existence of these seismic threats does not mean scientists can determine exactly when an earthquake will occur.
“Indonesia is located in an earthquake-prone region. We have repeatedly explained that there are threats from megathrust sources and active faults. However, exactly when and where an earthquake will occur cannot be determined,” he said.
BMKG’s clarification comes amid the growing number of disaster prediction videos and claims circulating online. Wijayanto said there is currently no technology capable of accurately predicting an earthquake’s exact timing and location.
“There is still no technology capable of predicting earthquakes precisely in terms of time and location,” he stressed.
For that reason, the public should not treat a prediction as a certainty simply because a forecast may eventually appear to coincide with an actual earthquake.
Wijayanto said predictions that seem accurate can sometimes simply be coincidental, particularly because Indonesia experiences earthquakes relatively frequently.
