Indonesia still shaking 3 days later from earthquakes?

Question

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 struck off the southwestern coast of Sumatra Friday in the same area shaken by a major 8.4-magnitude temblor that killed 13 people earlier in the week.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially issued an alert but lifted it later after no problems were reported.

The quake struck at 6:01 a.m. (2300 GMT Thursday), 120 km (75 miles) west-southwest of Sumatra's Bengkulu province and 650 km (405 miles) west-northwest of Jakarta.

See link - http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/09/14/indonesia.quake/index.html?eref=rss_world

Question - Doesn't this defy science ?

Answer 1

I do not think this is very unusual at all.
Earth quakes often have what are referred to as after-shocks.
They can occur several days after the initial quake and can even be stronger than the initial earth quake.
An earth quake is generally caused by slipping of the crust of the earth beneath the surface. The full extent of the slippage is not always achieved in the initial shock.
When the slippage continues in its effort to fully relieve the force that caused the initial quake, it is NOT considered a separate quake, but is referred to as an after shock.

Answer 2

you bet ye