Several houses, buildings in Chiang Mai develop cracks after mild quakes

The Mineral Resources Department explained during a press conference via Facebook Live late on Thursday morning that the series of eight quakes in Phrae and Chiang Mai were attributed to a moving fault.

Tinnakorn Thathong, director of the geological environment division of the department, said during the press conference that there were eight quakes measuring 1.5 to 3.9 magnitude in Phrae’s Long district on Wednesday and Tuesday.

Tinnakorn said the quakes were unleashed by a fault that lies from the direction of northeast to the southwest and moved horizontally to the left.

He said the quakes in Phrae were felt in Song, Sung Men, Wang Chin, Den Chai and Muang districts, and Tha Pla district of Uttaradit province with no reports of damage.

A 4.1-magnitude quake was recorded in Chiang Mai’s Doi Saket district at 4.36am on Thursday.

Tinnakorn said the quake in Chiang Mai was caused by the Mae Tha fault that moved horizontally to the right.

He said the tremors were felt in several districts of Chiang Mai and neighbouring Lamphun province.

Tinnakorn said the tremors caused cracks in the Mae Khue Witthaya School building.

Chiang Mai News reported that many people in Tambon Mae Khue in Doi Saket reported cracks in their houses and buildings following the quake.

The Centre for Excellence in Natural Disaster Management of Chiang Mai University said a larger quake of 5.1 magnitude was experienced in Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim district in December 2006 and a 4.1-magnitude quake was reported in the province on October 18, 2020.