The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has identified a new fault while researching the recent earthquake in West Pasaman district of West Sumatra province.
“We initially thought that the epicenter of the earthquake came from the faults closest to the earthquake site, namely the Angkola and Sianok faults. However, after we did more research, the earthquake turned out to be from a new segment,” head of the BMKG Technical Seismology Center, Rahmat Triyono, said here on Tuesday.
The new fault has a horizontal fault mechanism and has shifted to the right, he informed.
“For the time being this segment has been named Talamau,” he said.
BMKG initially suspected that the 6.1-magnitude earthquake in West Pasaman originated from the Angkola and Sianok segments, but upon further research, it found that the two segments did not reach Talamau, he revealed.
“Thus, data on aftershocks confirm that this is a new segment,” he said.
BMKG suspects that the segment is connected to Sianok, he added. However, further research still needs to be done, he said.
There is potential for an earthquake of up to 6.2 in magnitude in the Talamau segment because it is not too long compared to other segments, he explained.
Regarding the quake’s epicenter, which is close to Mount Talamau, he said that until now, there has been no warning of increased mountain activity from the Geological Agency.
“People don’t need to worry because the mountain will not erupt suddenly, but will be marked by the appearance of thunder and other signs,” said Triyono.
In the meantime, BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati said that the finding of the new segment further complements the mapping effort of quake-prone areas in West Sumatra.
“This finding can also be a recommendation for local governments to prepare earthquake-resistant buildings and other mitigation efforts,” she said.
BMKG has appealed to the public to not worry about the possibility of aftershocks, she added. However, they need to remain alert for potential flooding and landslides given that the rainy season is still on, Karnawati added.
Source: Antara News