"With the discovery of new faults that have not been found so far, spatial adjustments need to be carried out for future mitigation," said BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati on Tuesday, while providing details on developments regarding the 6.1-magnitude earthquake in West Pasaman at the VIP room of Minangkabau International Airport.
She said that after BMKG conducted research, they found a new fault, so spatial adjustments need to be made because the area was previously considered safe.
Related news: BMKG detects new fault after West Pasaman quake
"The results of the study found the Talamau fault in West Pasaman. Hence, this area needs to be watched out for as it is included in the red zone according to the new mapping results," she informed.
This means that the area has the potential to experience shocks of strong intensity of up to 8 MMI, which can collapse houses, she explained.
"Hence, it is important to prepare earthquake-resistant buildings and adjust the spatial layout in the zone," she added.
After the earthquake, the local government needs to pay more attention to building construction in the area, she said.
Related news: 6.1 M-quake refugees with undamaged houses should return home: BMKG
According to the BMKG, the 6.1-magnitude earthquake in West Pasaman was followed by 161 aftershocks.
"However, the strength of the aftershocks continued to weaken and only six aftershocks could be felt," Karnawati said.
Hence, the public need not worry about the aftershocks as their potential is decreasing, she added.
Meanwhile, head of the BMKG Seismology Center, Rahmat Triyonom said that the discovery of the new fault was based on research conducted in West Pasaman district.
x
"Initially we thought the epicenter of the earthquake came from the closest fault in the earthquake location, namely the Angkola and Sianok faults. However, further research found that the earthquake was from a new segment," he said.
Triyono said that the new fault has a horizontal fault mechanism and has shifted to the right.
Related news: BMKG denies 7.5 magnitude earthquake will strike West Pasaman
"For the moment this segment has been named Talamau," he said.
He further said he suspects that the segment is connected to Sianok. However, more research needs to be done on this, he added.
Triyono explained that the Talamau segment has the potential for triggering a 6.2-magnitude earthquake as it is not too long compared to other segments.
Related news: BMKG detects new fault after West Pasaman quake
Related news: Tourist visits jump 13.42% yoy in Jan: BPS
Translator: Katriana
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
