So I've been following the situation in Lombok, Indonesia from both online news and friends on the ground. One thing that I can't seem to figure out is why there are so many earthquakes over an extended period of time?
Is it common for there to be earthquakes for a whole month and of high magnitudes too in seismic zones?
I have read that there can be aftershocks but I don't think that all these quakes can be characterized as aftershocks of the initial quake? These quakes seem to be independent quakes and not a continuation of aftershocks.
The major 3 have also been progressing from the south to the northwest to the northeast of the island as though it is following some pattern. So is this a sign that an underlying seismic development such as a major shift in tectonic plates or a new volcano formation will take place?
Please explain it to me like I'm 5.