A series of earthquakes struck Johor in late August, with magnitudes ranging from 2.5 to 4.1.
The most recent one of 3.5 magnitude occurred 25km southeast of Batu Pahat at a depth of 10km on Sep 27.
Experts have linked these quakes to the Mersing Fault Zone.
Although the quakes have been relatively mild, residents in several districts, including Segamat, Yong Peng and Kluang, had previously reported feeling the ground shake.
“The earthquakes in Segamat and Batu Pahat were part of a natural process releasing accumulated tectonic energy within ancient fault lines to stabilise the earth’s crust. This was influenced by the extension of the Mersing Fault Zone, a major fault system in East Johor,” Huang told Parliament on Monday, as quoted by local news outlet Malay Mail.
“Based on the current and updated data, Segamat and Johor as a whole remain within a safe zone.”
He added that MetMalaysia and JMG are working together to monitor seismic activities across the country to ensure a more effective early warning and disaster response system.
“To achieve this, MetMalaysia will implement phase two of the earthquake and tsunami service enhancement project under the 13th Malaysia Plan,” he said, as quoted by Free Malaysia Today.
The second phase of the project would include strengthening 12 seismic stations nationwide, building two new stations in Segamat and Muar in Johor as well as upgrading four existing stations in Johor Bahru, Batu Pahat and Gelang Patah from strong-motion to weak-motion types to detect low-magnitude tremor, Tiong said.
State news agency Bernama previously reported that the federal government had approved a RM3 million (US$712,000) budget allocation to build the two seismic stations in Johor.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-earthquakes-risk-pahang-terengganu-perak-negeri-sembilan-sabah-sarawak-johor-5387631
