ANALYSIS ON RECENT EARTHQUAKE

[Anchor Lead]

The Korea Meteorological Administration reported today that yesterday’s earthquake occurred in waters off Jeju Island caused less damage than expected for an earthquake of that magnitude because the fault line moved horizontally, not vertically. The KMA based its analysis on the fact that the latest earthquake was caused by the strike-slip fault movement that mainly occurs in the south and west seas. Strike-slip fault involves two rocky planes moving laterally along the rock masses, causing much less damage than the earthquakes of the same magnitude with vertically-moving plates.