JAKARTA, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- The area near Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano was jolted by a 5.6-magnitude earthquake Tuesday, but officials said the volcano wasn't affected by the quake.
A volcano expert said if the quake were affecting the volcano, Mount Merapi would have belched hot clouds shortly after the quake, the Antara news agency reported.
U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Indonesia Tuesday as part of his four-country Asian visit.
"The earthquake was registered on our monitoring instruments but it did not affect Mount Merapi's activity," said Subandriyo, chief of the Volcanological Technology Research and Development Agency. "(No) hot clouds emerged from the mountain. So, the quake did not have a direct effect on Mount Merapi's activity."
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said the earthquake's epicenter was 77 miles southwest of the Bantul district and 6 miles below sea level. The agency said it didn't have the potential to cause a tsunami.
Subandriyo said his agency would monitor Mount Merapi to determine whether the earthquake might have an effect the volcano in the long run.
"We will have to see what happens during the next few months. Maybe, there will or there will not be an effect," he said.
