tremors and earthquakes Singapore is tectonically stable, and there have been no strong earthquakes recorded during its history. The solid bedrock of the island’s ancient granite core, together with an absence of any major fault lines, has left Singapore unaffected by the strong earth movements experienced in some neighbouring countries. The most significant plate boundaries in the region are the Sumatra Trench, just 400 km southwest of Singapore, and the Philippine Trench, over 1,500 km to the northeast. Along these, one tectonic plate is being dragged down under another, so there is a high level of instability.

While Singapore does not suffer from earthquakes, tall buildings in certain areas do experience tremors from earthquakes in Indonesia. After the massive earthquake off Sumatra on 26 December 2004, tremors were reported in Toa Payoh, Clementi, Beach Road, Siglap, Meyer Road and Tanjong Rhu.

The Meteorological Services Division of the National Environment Agency has a network of seismological stations which monitor earth movements. These are located both in hard rock locations and at depth, in softer, new sediment on land reclaimed from the sea (see geology and land reclamation). With increasing urbanization and ever taller buildings, equipment to monitor both the effects of wind and earth movement are being built into new developments. One of the first high- rise developments to have built- in seismic equipment is Republic Plaza.