BANGKOK, 27 April 2015 – The Department of Mineral Resources has confirmed that Thailand saw no impact from the recent earthquake in Nepal, though admitting that fault lines in the country are being monitored constantly.
Speaking of the 7.8-magnitude tremor that struck Nepal on Saturday, Director-General of the Department of Mineral Resources Supoj Jermsawatdipong pointed out that the quake originated from a thrust fault as the Indian Plate slid under the Eurasian Plate, with the epicenter located 80 kilometers to the northwest of Kathmandu. He said earthquakes of this scale are not common in this region.
Mr Supoj elaborated that the April 25 tremor in Nepal was approximately 1,700 kilometers away from Chiang Rai province and 2,300 kilometers away from Bangkok. According to a report from the United States Geological Survey, the seismic waves arriving in Thailand were very weak and the impact could not be felt.
Nonetheless, the Director-General revealed that the massive quake did trigger a 3.2-magnitude tremor on the Sagaing Fault in Myanmar which is connected to three fault lines in northern and western parts of Thailand. Therefore, the department is closely monitoring seismic activities on these fault lines while residents are advised to always be prepared for an emergency.
