SINGAPORE: Minor ground motions were detected by monitoring stations in Singapore during an earthquake that struck off the Malaysian state of Sabah on Monday (Feb 23), and some people here have reported feeling the tremors.
The ground motions detected were comparable with measurements taken during past regional earthquakes, said the Meteorological Service Singapore that day, in response to queries.
Singapore has previously experienced tremors from large earthquakes along the Sunda megathrust and Great Sumatran Fault.
Although the Sabah earthquake was farther away – about 1,500km from Singapore – it was significantly deeper at 620km, said the Met Service, which comes under the National Environment Agency.
“Deeper earthquakes tend to produce seismic waves that can travel long distances more efficiently with less energy loss, which may be the reason tremors were felt in Singapore,” the Met Service added.
The tremors were reported by netizens in locations such as Toa Payoh, Balestier and Punggol.
On Reddit, user dcburn, who lives in the East Coast area, said it was one of the strongest tremors he had ever felt in Singapore.
Facebook user Soniakaur Soniasingh said she felt “a bit (of a) shake” when watching a movie at her home in Ang Mo Kio.
“I thought in my head that my high blood pressure was up. Suddenly spinning, giddiness... Even my daughter who was on the way home from Bishan to Ang Mo Kio felt the shaking.”
Experts said Singaporeans could feel swaying from the quake because of the large amount of energy released.
Associate Professor Tong Ping from Nanyang Technological University said low-frequency surface waves can propagate thousands of kilometres with relatively weak attenuation.
The US Geological Survey recorded the Sabah quake at 7.1-magnitude, while the Malaysian Meteorological Department put it at 6.8-magnitude.
The previous strongest earthquake in Malaysia occurred on June 5, 2015, in Ranau, Sabah. The 6-magnitude quake claimed 18 lives, including Singaporeans.
On the Feb 23 quake, Prof Tong, who is also the principal investigator at the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), noted that by the time the surface waves reached Singapore, the ground motion was small but still “sufficient to cause occupants on higher floors to feel gentle swaying”.
By contrast, if there had been a small earthquake close to Singapore, people would more likely report a sharp, sudden “jolt”, said Assistant Professor Aron Meltzner, also from NTU’s EOS.
“Because the reports describe swaying rather than jolting, there’s no evidence to suggest a separate, unreported earthquake near Singapore. The shaking here is entirely consistent with the large earthquake in Sabah,” he said.
Prof Meltzner also said the Feb 23 Sabah quake is classified as a deep-focus earthquake.
He said deep earthquakes generally do not produce very strong shaking directly above them, because the seismic waves must travel hundreds of kilometres upwards before reaching the surface.
“However, seismic waves travel more efficiently through the deep interior of the Earth, so earthquakes that originate at great depth can transmit their energy over much longer distances.
“As a result, deep earthquakes are often felt much farther away than shallow earthquakes of similar size,” he explained.
Prof Tong said this is not the first time Singapore has experienced such tremors. Large earthquakes in Sumatra, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, have previously induced noticeable tremors in Singapore.
National University of Singapore senior lecturer Muhammad Nawaz said that even though Singapore is unlikely to experience strong earthquakes, it is still a good idea for residents to be prepared.
Simple precautions such as securing heavy furniture, knowing safe spots in your home and having an emergency plan can help reduce risks and keep everyone safe if a tremor does occur, he said.
Eddie, a car mechanic who declined to reveal his surname, told The Straits Times he felt the tremors last for around eight to 10 seconds.
The 40-year-old was in bed in his home in Punggol when he felt the ground shaking, and said he was not too worried as he knew buildings in Singapore would be able to handle such tremors.
The Building and Construction Authority said in August 2025 that buildings in Singapore are designed to withstand lateral forces, including those due to tremors from distant earthquakes. - The Straits Times/ANN
