Temengor earthquake: Gerik residents urged not to panic

Residents in Gerik have been reassured following a minor earthquake that struck the Temenggor area. The tremor, measuring a magnitude of 3.4, occurred late at night, prompting the state government to advise the public against unnecessary worry. Teh Kok Lim, chairman of the state's Science, Environment, and Green Technology Committee, noted that similar seismic events have been recorded in the region previously, including in 2013 and 2016 in Temenggor, and in 2009 in Manjung.

In response to the event, the Department of Minerals and Geoscience (JMG) has initiated an Active Fault Project. This project aims to collect crucial data on fault structures that have the potential to cause ground shaking and seismic activity. The research involves analyzing satellite imagery, Landsat data, and conducting field studies to pinpoint active fault structures within the state.

While acknowledging the presence of fault structures in several areas, Teh emphasized that the overall risk of earthquakes in Perak remains low. He stated that any potential seismic events are anticipated to be of low to moderate magnitude. The Active Fault Project's first phase, launched in 2016, focused on gathering spatial information to identify potentially active faults in the Temenggor and Manjung areas. The identification of these faults relies on interpreting satellite imagery, radar, and contour maps, alongside seismic epicenter data provided by the Malaysian Meteorological Department.