4 moderate quakes strike off Surigao Sur

DAVAO CITY – Four moderate earthquakes that ranged from magnitude 4.2 to 5.3 jolted Hinatuan town, Surigao del Sur on Monday evening, state seismologists said.

The strongest of the quakes, which was measured at magnitude-5.3, hit around 10:40 p.m. and its epicenter was traced some 57 kms southeast of Hinatuan, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

It had a depth of just a kilometer and was felt at Intensity V in Hinatuan, and Intensity III in Bislig City and Lianga and Cagwait, Surigao del Sur.

Phivolcs said Intensity III was recorded in Bislig City, 35 kms to the southwest, although the tremors were felt as far as parts of Compostela Valley.Eleven minutes later, a magnitude-5 occurred some 53 kms northeast of the eastern Mindanao town. It was also one kilometer deep.

The first of the tectonic quakes struck at 8:55 p.m. measured magnitude 4.2. It had a depth of one kilometer.

At 9:41 p.m., the second temblor struck at a depth of about 19 kilometers and was centered some 46 kms northeast of Hinatuan.

Phivolcs said no damages were expected but aftershocks may follow.

The Philippines sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a 40,000-km long horseshoe-shaped area around the Pacific Rim where continental plates collide, causing frequent quakes and volcanic activity. /cbb