PETALING JAYA, Feb 25 (Sin Chew Daily) – Meteorological Department deputy director-general (strategic & technical) Dr. Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said the rock structure and type at different epicenters are different, and as such tremors may not always be felt here in Malaysia whenever an earthquake happens in neighboring Indonesia.

He told Sin Chew Daily whether a tremor could be felt each time an earthquake happens in Indonesia depends very much on the rock structure and type at the epicenter.

“Sometimes we feel nothing here even though the earthquake is 6 on the Richter scale, while other times we can feel.”

He said the earthquake that struck Indonesia’s North Sumatra at 9.35a.m. this morning measured 6.1 on the Richter scale. Several aftershocks occurred until around 11.00a,m,, nine up to 3 on the Richter scale.

As for the earthquake’s impact on the safety of buildings in Malaysia, Mohd Hisham said this would depend on the structures of individual buildings and therefore the earthquake’s impact could only be established after evaluation by the Public Works Department (JKR) or other relevant technical experts.