“Seismologists say the constant movement and collision of tectonic plates make the country one of the most seismically active in the world”
YET another earthquake which struck off eastern Mindanao Friday highlights the position of the Philippines in the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area characterized by intense volcanic and seismic activity due to the movement and collision of tectonic plates.
The Pacific Ring of Fire, on which this archipelago of 7,000-plus islands sits, is a 40,000-kilometer long, horseshoe-shaped belt that runs along the edges of the Pacific Ocean, beginning in New Zealand, extending through Indonesia, Japan, the Bering Strait, the west coast of North and South America, and back down to the southern tip of South America.
Only 10 days earlier, the Philippines’ northern part of the central island of Cebu – the province is now under a state of calamity – was awakened by a 6.9-magnitude shock, eventually killing 74, destroying or damaging 72,000 houses and injuring thousands as surviving kin and friends fortified their nerves with at least a thousand aftershocks.
Seismologists say the Cebu fault that triggered the deadly earthquake “last moved 400 years ago.”
The 7.4-temblor which hit the Davao region is the latest in this earthquake-prone country of 117 million population, a chain of islands where several tectonic plates collide, causing immense seismic and volcanic activity.
Seismologists say the archipelago’s location at the boundaries of the Philippine Sea and Eurasian plates means these massive plates dive beneath the islands, creating stress released as earthquakes.
This complex tectonic setting also leads to the presence of many active faults throughout the islands, additionally contributing to the high frequency of tremors.
The collision of the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate and Pacific Plate, along with the presence of multiple active faults and subduction zones, causes stress to build up and release as earthquakes.
It is noteworthy that nations in the Pacific Ring of Fire, including the Philippines, are individually mitigating earthquake impacts through proactive measures like enforcing stringent building codes, implementing land-use planning, developing early warning systems, and conducting public awareness campaigns and drills.
We know the Philippines, for instance, prepares for and responds to disasters through Disaster Risk Reduction and Management programs which include stockpiling supplies, deploying emergency teams, and securing funding for pre-disaster activities and reconstruction
We are aware there are building codes aimed at gearing up preparedness and mitigation and easing the impact of natural disasters, and enforcing strict building codes and designing retrofitting programs ensures that buildings and critical infrastructure are more resilient to seismic activity.
Strategic planning for land use also helps to avoid building in high-risk areas, which reduces vulnerability to seismic hazards, and advanced scientific tools, like those developed by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology help in creating localized earthquake scenarios, enabling timely warnings and preparedness measures
Public awareness campaigns and regular drills, like earthquake and fire drills, among others have also helped to educate communities on proper actions to take during an actual event, aiming to reduce panic and save lives.
The deadliest earthquakes in the Philippines in the last 100 years include the 1976 7.9-8.0 magnitude Moro Gulf Earthquake along the Philippine Fault (up to 8,000 fatalities) due to a massive tsunami; the 7.8-7.9 magnitude 1990 Luzon Earthquake (over 2,000 deaths) that devastated Baguio City, some parts of La Union, Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija, and the 7.3-magnitude 1968 Casiguran Earthquake (268 deaths) where the medium-rise Ruby Tower building in Manila collapsed, causing many of the casualties.
Seismologists say the constant movement and collision of tectonic plates create several active faults throughout the Philippines, making the country one of the most seismically active in the world.
This intense seismic activity is why the Philippines experiences an average 20 tremors per day, though most are too small to be felt.
