Johor, M'sia jolted by 8th earthquake

A mild 2.9-magnitude earthquake struck Johor, Malaysia on Sep. 3, 2025, making it the eighth such incident since the first one struck Segamat on Aug. 24.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) said the quake at Sri Medan in Parit Sulong occurred about 10km southwest of Yong Peng at a depth of 10km.

MetMalaysia said it will continue to monitor the situation.

Earlier tremors were recorded on consecutive days — Aug. 27 (3.2), Aug. 28 (2.5), Aug. 29 (3.4), Aug. 30 (2.7) and Aug. 31 (2.9), following the initial 4.1-magnitude quake on Aug. 24

Science behind tremors

The science behind the tremors that have struck Malaysia has been briefly explained.

The tremor that hit Segamat has been identified as a movement of the Mersing fault, now registered as active again even though there has been no record of earthquakes in the area before.

This was due to the collision of the earth’s crust, which created pressure along the fault before slipping and releasing energy.

The occurrence of the tremors is not impossible, it was reported, even though the Malaysian peninsula is considered a low seismic zone as it is located on the stable Sunda Plate, and not on the Pacific Ring of Fire.

The potential for old or ancient faults to become active may be related to earthquakes in neighbouring countries.

Johor is said to have a rather hard and old crust, which causes waves to travel further.

Top photo via mygempa.met.gov.my