Photo from Phivolcs
MANILA, Philippines — A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hit waters off Sarangani Island in Davao Occidental early morning on Tuesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.
At first, Phivolcs said the magnitude of this quake was at 7.1-magnitude.
“‘Yung initial estimate po kasi, ‘yan ‘yung automatic calculation namin, but then as we receive more data coming from our seismic network, nagkakaroon kami ng recalculation,” Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol explained in an interview over Radyo 630 on Tuesday.
(That initial estimate, that’s our automatic calculation, but then as we receive more data coming from our seismic network, we have a recalculation.)
In its initial bulletin issued at 4:57 a.m., Phivolcs said the epicenter of the tectonic earthquake that struck at 4:48 a.m. was traced 119 kilometers southeast of Sarangani Island. The quake had a depth of focus of 76 kilometers.
A quake is tectonic when it was caused by the movement of an active fault near the area, according to Phivolcs.
State seismologists said the temblor was felt at Instrumental Intensity IV in Malungon, Alabel, and Kiamba towns.
They likewise said that aftershocks are expected from this event.
In another advisory, Phivolcs said there is no destructive tsunami threat in any part of the country due to the quake.
On January 3, the Municipality of Sarangani was also jolted by a 4.2-magnitude earthquake, which epicenter was located in the sea west of Balut Island. It had a depth of focus of 36 kilometers.
READ: Quake-hit Mindanao folk struggle to pick up the pieces
On November 17, 2023, a magnitude 6.8 quake struck waters off Sarangani. It occurred 30 kilometers southwest of the municipality and had a shallow depth of 10 kilometers. Dozens of aftershocks were recorded following the tremor as deaths and damage to several houses, government buildings, and a school were reported due to this quake.
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