Bigger earthquakes expected for Thailand:

Bigger earthquakes expected

Thai academics expressed concerns about the more severe and frequent earthquakes expected to shake the Earth in the future, while others warned people to beware even if they did not live near active faults.

BANGKOK: -- Foundation for National Disaster Warning System of Thailand's chairman Smith Dharmasaroja said the huge quakes that hit Chile and Haiti early this year had been caused by strong movement of the Earth's crust and could probably affect faults nearby and lead to more frequent earthquakes.

For instance, he said, if big earthquakes occurred in neighbouring countries, they would affect Thailand's 13 active faults, making it prone to more tremors.

"The cumulative energy under the earth that can move faults is the main cause of earthquakes, and the colossal solar storm that caused a massive blackout in Canada and the US East Coast around 20 years ago, could have resulted in more severe earthquakes," Smith said.

Over the past few years, people have heard about recent earthquakes in several countries and reports about small tremors this month in Kanachanaburi raised their concerns.


In an interview with Channel 3, Smith talked about the huge quakes predicted by Kongpop U-yen, a Thai engineer who works for the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa).

He said Kongpop had sent him dates between July and October when he predicted that quakes of 7-9 Richter-scale magnitude would occur.

Assoc Prof Pennung Warnitchai, a lecturer at the Asian Institute of Technology and project leader of Seismic Hazard Assessment and Mitigation of Seismic Risk in Thailand, said residents in Kanchanaburi and provinces in the North should not just beware of the areas on active faults, but also areas nearby.

"There are lots of blind faults hidden in the active faults that can cause quakes of 5 to 6 Richter-scale magnitude, and if they occur in areas where people live, there will be huge damages. People are wrong to believe that only active faults can cause seismic activity. They should not overlook blind faults. People in Kanchanaburi's Tha Muang and Muang districts will probably suffer earthquakes even though they are located far from two of the 13 active faults," Pennung added.

Adichat Surinkhum, a senior geological expert at the Department of Mineral Resources, warned people to not settle in areas facing the risk of earthquakes. "I've been told that people are moving to live in risky areas. They shouldn't do this," he said.

He added that more than 100 small tremors, in magnitude of less than 3 Richter scale, occurred in Thailand every year and bigger ones of 3 to 5 Richter-scale magnitude took place 20 times on average, which were the same frequencies as 10 to 20 years ago.

Adichat, however, does not believe that a solar storm could affect the earth's structure and cause an earthquake.

However, both he and Pennung are calling on Thai citizens and the authorities to build homes and buildings that are able to resist earthquakes.

They also recommend that people visit the earthquake.usgs.gov website to learn how to brace themselves for possible quakes.