Malaysian seismologists fear strong Sumatran quake ahead
Malaysian seismologists fear strong Sumatran quake ahead
KUALA LUMPUR (AP): More earthquakes could occur soon on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, possibly signaling the recurrence of a powerful quake that struck the area more than 60 years ago, the Malaysian Meteorological Service Department said on Friday.
"We worry whether the same type of quake could occur soon (as) such huge events often happen in 70-year cycles," Mohd. Rosaidi Che Abas, acting director of the department's Seismology Division, told the AP.
There have been three major quakes in West Sumatra since Sept. 18, each measuring at least 5 on the Richter scale, he said.
The quakes were said to have occurred in remote areas where the population and buildings were scarce. It was not immediately clear if they were related to the earthquake that devastated central Taiwan earlier this week.
But the latest two quakes on Wednesday and Thursday caused minor tremors lasting five minutes each in parts of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, Mohd. Rosaidi said.
The tremors in Kuala Lumpur measured 3 on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, he said. The scale, which ranges from 1 to 12, is an arbitrary ranking based on observed effects such as the rocking of vehicles or movement of furniture.
No damage was caused by the tremors.
Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra are separated by the Straits of Malacca.
In 1935, an earthquake measuring 8 on the Richter scale hit West Sumatra about 500 kilometers (310 miles) from Kuala Lumpur. "Luckily, there was not much damage back then since there were no high-rise buildings," Mohd. Rosaidi said.
He said no contingency plans have been formulated in the event of such a quake, but members of the public who sensed tremors could call the department's 24-hour hotline for information.
The department would maintain close contact with its Indonesian counterparts as there was "risk for damage" to buildings in the Malaysian capital if such a quake occurred less than 300 kilometers away, he said.
"No one can really predict if it will happen, but the possibility is there right now," he said.
Peninsular Malaysia itself is not prone to earthquakes since it has no active fault lines.