A violent earthquake of magnitude 7.4 it hit at 9:43 local time (3:43 in Italy). Philippines with epicenter off the east coast of Davao Oriental62 km from Manay, and hypocentre in 58.1 km depth, according to data collected by the US geological survey USGS confirmed by the Institute of Volcanology and Seismology of the Philippines. Although the earthquake hit a significant and populated area, fortunately the earthquake does not seem to have caused any victims or injuries, even if it caused panic among the population who took to the streets and numerous blackout on the island.
Initially there was concern about atsunami warningissued by the national seismological institute and then returned after a few hours, which led to the evacuation of the towns facing the coasts. The only freak wave recorded was in Tandag City with a height of about 30 centimeters.
The 7.4 earthquake in the Philippines: epicenter and geological origin
The earthquake hit the south-eastern region of the country, with its epicenter in the sea about a hundred km from Davao City. Initially the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded a magnitude of 7.6, which then dropped to 7.4 in agreement with the magnitude estimated by the USGS. The strong earthquake follows just 10 days ago the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that hit the province of Cebu. So far at least they have followed the main earthquake 170 aftershocksof which the main one with magnitude 5.8 at 11:32 local time.
The origin of the earthquake, according to the US Geological Institute, can be attributed to the movement of the Philippine plate that flows with respect to the Probe microplate. The relative motion between the two plates is approx 100 millimeters per year. The earthquake was caused by an oblique fault between the two plates.
Because there are often intense earthquakes in the Philippines
The Philippines is located along the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”that is – to simplify – a line that follows the coasts of the Pacific Ocean which is particularly active from a geological point of view due to the action of the various continental plates on the Pacific plate. This plaque undergoes a phenomenon called subduction: Simply put, it sinks beneath the neighboring plates. The vast complex tectonic movements in this line give rise to numerous active volcanoes and violent earthquakes.
As part of this “ring of fire”, the Philippine plate also frequently experiences earthquakes of great intensity: in the last century, as reported by the USGS, 155 earthquakes with magnitude greater than 6.0 And 15 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 7.0like today’s.
