When we were kids, we all heard that Malaysia is uniquely located with no earthquakes, no volcanoes and no typhoons. But that saying no longer fits Malaysia today.
At 9:39 a.m. on February 25, a strong 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck 76 kilometers off Payakumbu in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, and was felt in the states of Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), seven earthquakes of magnitude 5 or greater have occurred in Malaysia in the past 20 years, and fault zones in several areas of Malaysia have become active. Malaysia and Indonesia are on the same stratigraphic plate and are geographically close to each other. The earthquakes that have occurred in Indonesia in recent years may affect future stratigraphic changes in Malaysia.
All indications are that there are not zero earthquakes in Malaysia, so Malaysian government should promote earthquake safety awareness as soon as possible.
