M7.2 earthquake - off the west coast of northern Sumatra

What happened

A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck off the west coast of northern Sumatra on 10 Jan 2012, 18:36 UTC at a depth of 19 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Major. Can cause serious damage over large areas. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.