The region is part of the Pacific Rim of fire, a line of shifting tectonic plates stretching from New Zealand, Indonesia, Japan across to the west coast of the USA down through Mexico and South America.
An expert has indicated the magnitude 7 earthquake which ripped through Lombok in Indonesia, killing at least 142 people, was caused by the same tectonic movement that led to the eruption of Bali's Mount Agung in June this year.
The region is part of the Pacific Rim of fire, a line of shifting tectonic plates stretching from New Zealand, Indonesia, Japan across to the west coast of the USA down through Mexico and South America.
Professor Chris Elders, from the Curtin University School of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Perth, said volcanic eruptions and earthquakes were all related to the fact that the ocean crust is moving down underneath Indonesia.
He said while there has been no change to the level of earthquake risk for Bali quakes remain impossible to predict with any accuracy.
"We know areas where there's a high risk that an earthquake will occur but exactly when is difficult to say," Professor Elders said.
Meanwhile, the recovery effort in Lombok has continued with three C-130 Hercules aircraft and two helicopters deployed to deliver tents and medical aid.
The earthquake has destroyed roads and bridges, making areas difficult to reach. One official said 80% of north Lombok had suffered damage.
Michelle Thompson, an American who was holidaying on one of the Gili islands, with her husband, described a violent “scramble” to get on boats leaving for the main island on Monday.
She said, “People were just throwing their suitcases on board and I had to struggle to get my husband on because he was bleeding.”