JOHOR BARU: The likelihood of a stronger earthquake occurring in Segamat, Johor, is low as the district does not sit within an active fault line.
An earthquake fault line is a fracture or zone of fractures in the earth’s crust where movement occurs.
Senior lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s (UTM) Faculty of Civil Engineering, Associate Professor Dr Mariyana Aida Ab Kadir, said today’s tremors in the district are categorised as minor and posed no serious threat to residents or surrounding structures.
However, Mariyana, who is also a member of UTM’s Engineering Seismology and Earthquake Engineering Research (eSEER) group, said continuous monitoring was necessary to provide early information and knowledge to prevent panic among residents.
“Referring to the contour map of the Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) National Annex: 2017 (MS EN 1888-1:2015), Johor in general and Segamat in particular are not located within an active fault zone.
“The area falls within the four per cent PGA contour, which refers to ground movement velocity during an earthquake.
“Earthquakes occur along fault lines either on land or at sea.
“Fault lines can be identified as active or inactive.
“Ground movement along active fault lines, including tremors during an earthquake, can be measured using seismometers.
“In Malaysia, records of ground movement caused by earthquakes are available from the Malaysian Meteorological Department.”
She said continuous monitoring is essential to provide early warnings and help communities take precautions to minimise the risk of accidents and damage.
She said that if moderate tremors occur outside of active fault zones, they could be triggered by other factors, such as heavy industrial activity, including quarrying.
“In general, moderate tremors can be felt by occupants of high-rise buildings, especially on the upper floors.
They may feel slight swaying, but it is not significant,” she said.
Earlier, an earthquake measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale was reported in Segamat at 6.13am, followed by a second mild quake measuring 2.8 in Kluang at 9am today.
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