More quake prone

Minor tremors will continue to happen and major ones also expected, says geologist

Sabah will continue to be hit by minor tremors, while major earthquakes are expected, says geologist.

PETALING

JAYA: Living with tremors is something Sabahans will just have to get used to because they have become a common occurrence, said Universiti Malaysia Sabah geologist Professor Dr Felix Tongkul.

He said minor earthquakes will continue to happen while major ones are also expected.

“Bigger ones could happen in the earthquake-prone areas of Ranau and the Lahad Datu-Kunak areas,” he said when contacted.

Two tremors hit Sabah in less than 24 hours last week.

On Thursday, a magnitude 3.0 quake hit Sapulut while a 3.9 magnitude one, lasting 10 seconds, hit Ranau on Friday. This was felt in surrounding areas, including Kundasang about 15km away.

Tongkul, who monitors earthquakes in Sabah, said it was difficult to know when these would happen.

Sabah Minerals and Geoscience Department director Yusof Ramli pointed out that even the advancedcountries had yet to develop a system that could accurately predict when earthquakes would occur.

He added that the department was collecting and examining the data from recent earthquakes.

A 6.0 magnitude quake hit Mount Kinabalu two years ago killing 18 people.

Since the deadly quake, Ranau and Kundasang had been hit with continuous aftershocks and minor quakes.

It was reported earlier that Sabah is finalising a building code requiring all new structures, especially high-rise buildings, to be earthquake proof.