BANGKOK: The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) said on Monday (March 9) that a cluster of 12 earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 1.7 to 3.5 had struck Khao Phang subdistrict in Ban Ta Khun district, Surat Thani, between March 8 and 9, with the strongest tremor measuring magnitude 3.5 at a depth of one kilometre at 5.41pm on March 8.
According to the DMR, the earthquake swarm was caused by movement along the Khlong Marui fault group, which runs in a north-east to south-west direction and moves in a left-lateral strike-slip pattern. The department said residents in the area felt the tremors, but there were no reports of damage.
The tremors recorded on March 9 were magnitude 2.0 at 5.30am, magnitude 1.7 at 2.13am, magnitude 1.7 at 1.18am and magnitude 1.8 at 1.08am.
On March 8, the area recorded further quakes of magnitude 2.4 at 5.59pm, magnitude 3.5 at 5.41pm, magnitude 1.8 at 2.03pm, magnitude 1.9 at 1.59pm, magnitude 1.8 at 12.37pm, magnitude 2.9 at 12.29pm, magnitude 1.9 at 12.28pm and magnitude 2.4 at 7.02am.
The Khlong Marui fault is one of Thailand’s 16 active fault groups and is considered moderately active.
It stretches for around 140 to 150 kilometres through Surat Thani, Krabi, Phang Nga and Phuket before extending into the Andaman Sea. DMR documents describe it as one of the country’s recognised active fault systems.
Thai authorities said monitoring would continue closely, although the quakes were classified as small and no structural damage had been reported. - The Nation/ANN
