KOTA KINABALU, Sabah, East Malaysia – According to
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) geologist Dr Felix Tongkul, a series of
aftershocks at regular intervals since the 5.9 magnitude Mount Kinabalu
earthquake looks "abnormal".
He said the aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 2 to
5.1 following the June 5 earthquake might indicate an activation of dormant
fault lines in the area of the mountain that forms part of the Crocker Range.
This is likely related to the relatively young age of the
mountain, said Tongkul.
He said Mount Kinabalu was seven million years old while
other mountains were between 30 and 50 mil years.
Under normal scenarios, an earthquake would be followed by
aftershocks of smaller intensities that eventually taper off. However, Tongkul
said, there is a mountain that is quite
unpredictable.
The stored energy has been released. It takes time for such
energy to accumulate again, he said.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department recorded a magnitude
4 "weak earthquake" about 11km northwest of Ranau at 5.58am on
Thursday.
It was the latest aftershock that was felt by people in
Ranau and parts of the west coast including Kota Kinabalu.
Source: Agency
Post a Comment