Johor sees sixth earthquake in a week as of 30 Aug
Johor, Malaysia has been hit by yet another tremor, marking this the sixth weak earthquake to hit the region in a week.
A 2.7 magnitude aftershock struck Segamat, Johor on Saturday (30 Aug) at 7.29am.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MET Malaysia) detected the tremor around 2km north-west of the northern Johor town.
It had a depth of 10km.
Source: Malaysian Meteorological Department on Facebook
According to The Straits Times (ST), several public buildings were affected, with engineers observing cracks in on the walls of community colleges and a local hospital.
However, there was no structural damage.
MET Malaysia is continuing to monitor the situation and issue advisories where necessary.
Efforts to educate the public
Following the recent spate of earthquakes, MET Malaysia has taken to social media to assure and educate locals.
These include infographics on Facebook explaining the different terms relating to earthquakes.
The infographic outlined the three types of earthquakes: mainshock, foreshock, and aftershock.
Source: Malaysian Meteorological Department on Facebook
Meanwhile, another infographic explained how earthquakes occur.
Source: Malaysian Meteorological Department on Facebook
Main earthquake occurred earlier in the week
The main earthquake, which had a magnitude of 4.1, occurred on 24 Aug and was first detected 5km west of Segamat.
“The tremors were felt in most areas in Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, and Southern Pahang,” the agency wrote, adding that there was no tsunami threat to the country.
Source: Malaysian Meteorological Department on Facebook
Following the incident, Johor’s chief minister Hafiz Ghazi confirmed that there were reported no casualties or property damage, according to the New Straits Times.
Advising the public to stay away from unstable structures and heed the instructions of the authorities, he said the state government is closely monitoring the situation with relevant agenices.
Afterwards, a 3.2 magnitude aftershock occurred on Wednesday (27 Aug).
The aftershock was detected 18km south from Segamat, and tremors were felt over Johor and Southern Pahang.
On Thursday (28 Aug), there was one more 2.5 magnitude aftershock 13km north of Segamat, while another was recorded in the wee hours of 29 Aug.
No reported impact on Singapore
A statement by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) released on Tuesday (26 Aug) stated that the tremors in Johor had no reported impact on buildings in Singapore.
The BCA assured the public that all buildings in Singapore are designed to be “sufficiently robust” and “capable of withstanding lateral forces”, including tremors caused by distant earthquakes.
Adding that none of Singapore’s tremor sensors were triggered by the main 4.1 magnitude earthquake on Sunday (24 Aug), the authority said that they are continuing to monitor real-time data to assess the impact of seismic activities on Singapore’s buildings.
Also read: 2 mild earthquakes hit Johor & cause tremors, S’pore seemingly unaffected
2 mild earthquakes hit Johor & cause tremors, S’pore seemingly unaffected
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Featured image adapted from Malaysian Meteorological Department on Facebook and SCM Southern Corridor Malaysia on YouTube.
