Mineral resources officials will install seismic monitoring equipment on Koh Samui this week after two earthquakes were felt there, on Thursday and Saturday.
The department said on its Facebook account that Natural Resources and Environment Minister Patcharawat Wongsuwan was aware of residents' concerns in the wake of the shakes, and had ordered the rapid installation of a seismic monitoring station on the tourist island.
Officials would be there on Tuesday and Wednesday to install the equipment.
Director-general Pichit Sombatmak said residents felt the two tremors, which registered magnitudes of 2.2-2.4 on the Richter scale, but there were no reports of any damage.
Weerachart Wiwekawin, director for active faults and earthquakes, said the two quakes were probably caused by the movement in the cracked granite foundation beneath Koh Samui. He was confident that Koh Samui was safe and a strong earthquake could not occur there.
A 2.4-magnitude tremor occurred four kilometres deep in tambon Ang Thong of Koh Samui at 8.24am on Thursday and a 2.2-magnitude quake, two kilometres deep, in tambon Bo Phut at 8.31am on Saturday.
The department described both shakes as microearthquakes that occurred far from any active fault line. They were about 80 kilometres from the Khlong Marui Fault on the mainland of Surat Thani.
The department attributed the tremors to geothermal energy affecting cracks in the granite foundation of Koh Samui.
