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HUGE 7.2 Mag Earthquake Tears Through Philippines
Philippines Earthquake: Huge Tremor Tears Through Region at 7.2 Magnitude
The quake struck the Mindanao in the Philippines on Friday around 4:14pm local time (8:14am GMT) some 18 miles southwest of Sarangani in the province
BBC 17 NOV 2023
A huge earthquake of 7.2 magnitude has struck the Philippines, with fears of devastation across the region.
The quake struck the Mindanao in the Philippines on Friday around 4:14pm local time (8:14am GMT), some 18 miles southwest of Sarangani in the province. There are discrepancies around the size of the quake with the German Research Centre for Geosciences reporting it at 6.9 and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre saying it was 7.2.
Mindanao is the second-largest island in the Philippines and is home to about 26 million people. Davao City, the third-largest city in the Philippines, is on the coast of Mindanao.
There were no immediate reports of casualties but the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology director Teresito Bacolcol said both damage to property and aftershocks are expected from the latest tremor. Philippines' seismology agency said the quake lasted several seconds and advised residents to be on alert for aftershocks and damage.
The Philippines lies on the "Ring of Fire", a belt of volcanoes circling the Pacific Ocean that is prone to seismic activity.
Why does the Philippines have so many earthquakes?
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), around 100-150 earthquakes occur per year (with a magnitude of 4.0 and above) have been felt from year 1600s to early 2000.
There are so many volcanoes and earthquakes in the area dubbed the Ring of Fire. Here, tectonic plates overlap at convergent boundaries called subduction zones.
National Geographic explains: "That is, the plate that is underneath is pushed down, or subducted, by the plate above. As rock is subducted, it melts and becomes magma. The abundance of magma so near to Earth’s surface gives rise to conditions ripe for volcanic activity. This stretch of the Ring of Fire is a transform boundary, where plates move sideways past one another. This type of boundary generates a large number of earthquakes as tension in Earth’s crust builds up and is released."
Seventy-five per cent of Earth’s volcanoes are located along the Ring of Fire. Ninety per cent of Earth’s earthquakes occur along its path, including the planet’s most violent and dramatic seismic events.
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