Magnitude 4.2 quake jolts Davao Occidental again

This Phivolcs map shows the epicenter of magnitude 4.2 quake that hit off the coast of Sarangani town in Davao Occidental on Sunday, May 5, 2019.

DAVAO CITY, Davao del Sur, Philippines — Another magnitude 4.2 earthquake jolted Sarangani town in Davao Occidental on Sunday evening, the fourth temblor to hit the town within the day.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded the tectonic quake at around 6:13 p.m., with the epicenter located 340 kilometers southeast of Sarangani with a depth of focus at 184 kilometers.

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake was also recorded in Sarangani town at 12:42 p.m. Its epicenter was located 188 kilometers southeast of Sarangani at a depth focus at 12 kilometers.

Early on Sunday, two quakes measuring magnitude 4.2 and 4.7 were recorded off Sarangani town, Davao Occidental, Phivolcs said.

The larger event, which occurred at 7:51 a.m., had its epicenter traced some 31 kilometers southeast of Sarangani.

It was followed some 14 minutes later by another quake, with the epicenter located 30 kilometers offshore to the southeast.

No aftershocks were expected and no damage was recorded.

Phivolcs earlier explained that the recent seismic activities along the eastern seaboard of Mindanao, particularly off Surigao provinces, were due to the subduction activity of the Philippine Sea Plate along the Philippine Trench, in which the edge of the earth’s crust of the Philippine Sea plate moved sideways or downward into the mantle of the Philippine Trench.

Phivolcs assured the public it would continue to monitor the events even as it urged communities to take preparedness measures.

/atm