Magnitude 5.2 quake greets Easter morn in Lanao del Sur

This map provided by the Phivolcs shows the epicenter of the magnitude 5.2 quake that hit Wao, Lanao del Sur, before dawn on Easter Sunday. PHIVOLCS IMAGE

DAVAO CITY – A moderate magnitude-5.2 earthquake rocked parts of Mindanao early on Easter Sunday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

The tectonic quake, which struck at 4:46 a.m., was located 12 kilometers west of Wao town, Lanao del Sur province, at a depth of five kilometers, Phivolcs said.

READ: Magnitude 6 quake jolts Lanao del Sur-Bukidnon area
No damage was expected due to the temblor, said Phivolcs, although the agency expects aftershocks.
It was felt at Intensity V, or moderate in Wao, the town closest to the epicenter, Phivolcs said. Intensity III was felt in Cotabato City while Intensity II was recorded in Cagayan de Oro City.

The quake occurred as Christians celebrated Easter, the most important feast of the religion, which commemorates the rising back from the dead of Jesus Christ.

In the Biblical account of Easter, an earthquake also took place before Jesus emerged from the tomb.

Sunday’s pre-dawn temblor was preceded by a 4.3-magnitude quake at a shallower depth of two kilometers in the same area, three minutes shortly before the 4:46 a.m. shaking, Phivolcs said.
The quakes occurred less than a week after a strong 6.0-magnitude temblor jolted the southern region, damaging over 30 houses and buildings in Wao and some parts of Bukidnon province.

The Philippines sits in the region called Pacific Ring of Fire where continental plates collide, causing frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. CBB/rga