Magnitude 5.1 quake jolts Davao Occidental

The red dot shows the epicenter traced some 120 kilometers southwest of Sarangani town. PHIVOLCS IMAGE

DAVAO CITY — A moderate magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Davao Occidental early on Monday, state seismologists said.

The temblor which was tectonic in origin happened around 2:28 a.m. with its epicenter traced some 120 kilometers southwest of Sarangani town, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said. It had a depth of focus of 33 kilometers.

Phivolcs said no damage is expected but aftershocks may occur. State seismologists said the shake may not have affected land as there were no reported intensities.

Quakes have been known to originate in areas around Davao Occidental and Sarangani provinces which face the seismically active Celebes Sea.

On July 3, a magnitude 5.6 quake also jolted Sarangani province and was felt as far as Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley provinces to the northeast.

Two very large quakes have occurred in the area around Celebes Sea since 1900; namely: the magnitude 8.3 quake in 1918 and another magnitude 8 that spawned tsunamis in Davao Gulf in April 1924.

The 1976 Moro Gulf magnitude 7.9 quake within the Celebes basin also resulted to a tsunami that killed over 5, 000 people. /ee