The people of Sabah, especially those in Lahad Datu, are advised to not panic or speculate claims of an imminent ‘big earthquake’ in the area and its surroundings.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Natural Disaster Research Center (PKBA) head Prof Dr Kawi Dugan said residents should remain vigilant and obtain the right information from the agency which monitors earthquakes in the country.
“PKBA along with other government agencies are ready to help provide expert assistance through education and awareness seminars on the dangers of earthquakes in Sabah, as a preliminary measure,” he said in a statement Wednesday.
He was commenting on a series of small-magnitude earthquakes off the coast of Teluk Darvel near the town of Lahad Datu, Sabah on Feb 16, March 1 and 4, which were deemed to be natural occurrences for the release of seismic energy stored on a small scale in the area.
The incidents went viral on social media with speculation that there will be a larger earthquake in the area, probably comparable to or stronger than the earthquake at Mount Kinabalu on June 5, 2015, raising the concern of the population in and around Lahad Datu.
Kawi said based on the current scientific studies, records and facts on earthquakes, it was still not possible for experts to exactly forecast the occurrence of an earthquake.
On March 4th, geologist Prof Dr Felix Tongkul, also from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), advised residents around Lahad Datu to be on the alert to face any possibility of a bigger earthquake occurring.
“This incident may lead to two possibilities, one is the release of seismic energy stored on a small scale in the area and if this continues it can prevent the release of greater energy in the future.
“The second possibility is that it is a marker for a bigger earthquake. The small tremors are referred to as preliminary earthquake (fore-shock). This means the preliminary earthquake can happen a few days or several weeks before a major earthquake occurs… whatever the possibility, residents around Lahad Datu are advised to be vigilant,” he said
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Meteorological Department in a statement shared the same views with Felix.
“We need to be alert to the second possibility raised by Felix…where a stronger earthquake of up to 6.0 on the Richter scale can occur as we had highlighted before, after the earthquake in Ranau (last June),” it said.