6.3 quake strikes off Negros Occidental; no injuries, damage

MANILA, Philippines—A strong earthquake struck off Negros Occidental on Thursday afternoon, causing tremors in parts of the province and neighboring places in the Western Visayas region, seismologists said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the epicenter of the magnitude 6.3 quake was located some 49 kilometers southwest of the town of Hinoba-an, striking at 6:16 p.m.

The offshore earthquake had a depth of 10 kilometers and was tectonic in origin, meaning its movement came from the shifting of the plates of the earth’s crust.

But in an advisory, Phivolcs predicted no damage from the temblor, only aftershocks.

Intensity 5, which means the quake is strong enough to shake buildings and cause objects to fall over, was monitored in Hinoba-an, thesouthernmost town in the province, according to the agency.

On the other hand, Intensity 4, which indicated that the shaking was felt generally by people indoors and by some people outdoors, was monitored in Iloilo City; Bago City; Pandan, Antique; and Basay and Sipalay, Negros Occidental, Phivolcs said.

The magnitude of an earthquake is a measure of the energy released at its source, while intensity gauges the strength of tremors in specific places, and is determined based on its effects on people, human structures and the environment.

Screengrab from www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph

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