Indonesia earthquake biggest since Japan quake in March 2011

The 8.6 magnitude earthquake off Aceh, Indonesia, today is the biggest since the 9 magnitude Tohoku quake in northern Honshu, Japan, on March 11, 2011. That is what I found on checking the United States Geological Survey’s Significant Earthquake and News Headlines Archive. The 8.6 magnitude earthquake was followed by an 8.2 magnitude quake, also off the west coast of northern Sumatra. There were two major earthquakes in the same region today. The 8.6 struck at 8:38:37 UTC and the 8.2 at 10:43:09 UTC, just two hours later. That’s devastating.  Here’s what I read on Twitter about tremors being felt in places as far apart as Kolkata, in India, and Singapore.