Marikina Fault Lines

There are actually a number of recognized earthquake fault lines within

the Marikina Valley Fault System. The most significant of which are the
10KM-long East Valley Fault, in Rizal, and the 100KM-long West Valley
Fault, from Bulacan, down through Cavite, to Laguna. Either or both of
these faults may slip with a jolt, to dramatic effect, at any time.

What causes a fault line to slip with a jolt? The tectonic plates
(lithospheric plates) that form the outer layer of our planet are variably
under pressure from the Earth's molten core and the gravitational
forces exerted by the moon and the larger planets. The entirety of the
Philippine Islands was created by the collision of the Sunda Plate (a
minor extension of the Eurasian Plate) and Philippine Plate (central and
southern Luzon lie on the Sunda Plate while the Philippine plate
extends along the Eastern seaboard), the latter being influenced by the
much larger Pacific Plate, farther to the East. Tectonic plates typically
slip over or under or along each other at a rate of 2-5cm per year.

Areas close to the edges of the plates become deformed by the movement of these huge sections of the
Earth's crust; fault lines are created as these adjacent parts of a plate become deformed and crack.
Similar to the tectonic plates, these fault lines (cracks) slip some small amount each year but,
sometimes, the underlying rock is so tough that it temporarily prevents movement and so pressure
builds up. Eventually the pressure is so great that movement can no longer be prevented and the fault
line will slip with a jolt: an Earthquake. Such an earthquake may last anywhere from a few seconds to a
minute or more, depending on how much pressure has been built up and how far the crack needs to
move before the pressure is released.
The Marikina Valley Fault System is considered to be almost fully locked, i.e. almost no movement, so
the pressure is building all of the time; historic records suggest that it has slipped with a jolt every 200-
400 years (310 years on average). The last noticeable jolt within the Marikina Valley Fault System is
reported to have been in 1771AD.
What Is The Risk?
Earthquake severity (as experienced by people on the surface of the Earth) depend largely on how deep
the earthquake is: an earthquake 100KM deep will not be felt as severely on the Earth's surface
compared to a shallower earthquake at 10KM deep. The Marikina Valley Fault system is considered to
be a shallow fault and so the severity of even a modest 6.0-Richter earthquake will feel very strong to
people within the National Capitol Region. Based on historic evidence, it is estimated that the Marikina
Valley Fault System produces earthquakes in the range of magnitude 6.0-7.5 Richter.
In a 2011 a report by the Earthquakes and Megacities Initiative ("EMI") estimated that a magnitude 7.2
Richter earthquake occurring within the Marikina Valley Fault System would severely damage 175,000
buildings, cause 33,500 deaths, with 114,000 injured and 3,000,000 needing evacuation due to unsafe
buildings. Metro Manila has grown significantly in size since 2011 and a significant portion of that
development has been close to the West Valley Fault, so these estimates could possibly be doubled.
Remember: earthquakes do not kill - buildings kill; explore the Philippines' beautiful beaches, rivers,
mountains and rain forests, instead of its cities

Manila Trench
The Manila Trench near western Luzonand Mindoro, the Philippine Trench in the east, and the Philippine
Mobile Belt.

The Manila Trench is an oceanic trench in the Pacific Ocean, located west of the islands
of Luzon and Mindoro in the Philippines. The trench reaches a depth of about 5,400 metres
(17,700 ft),[8] in contrast with the average depth of the South China Sea of about 1,500 metres
(4,900 ft). It is created by subduction, in which the Sunda Plate (part of Eurasian Plate) is subducting
under the Philippine Mobile Belt, producing this almost N-S trending trench. The convergent
boundary is terminated to the north by the Taiwan collision zone, and to the south by
the Mindoro terrane (Sulu-Palawan block colliding with SW Luzon). It is an area pervaded by
negative gravity anomalies.[9]
The Manila Trench is associated with frequent earthquakes, and the subduction zone is responsible
for the belt of volcanoes on the west side of the Philippine island of Luzon, which includes Mount
Pinatubo.
Convergence between the Philippine Mobile Belt and the Sunda Plate have been estimated
using GPS measurements, and this value ranges from ~ 50+ mm/yr in Taiwan, to 100 mm/yr near N.
Luzon, and ~ 50 mm/yr near Zambales and ~20+mm/yr near Mindoro island.[10] Plate locking
between the Sunda Plate and Luzon is about 1% coupled, almost unlocked as determined by elastic
block models, suggesting that the trench absorbs the Philippine Mobile Belt-Eurasian
Plate convergence.

Philippine Trench
The Philippine Trench (also Philippine Deep, Mindanao Trench, and Mindanao Deep) is a submarine
trench to the east of the Philippines. The trench is located in the Philippine sea of the western North
Pacific Ocean and continues NNW-SSE.[11] It has a length of approximately 1,320 kilometres (820 miles)
and a width of about 30 km (19 mi) from the center of the Philippine island of Luzon trending southeast
to the northern Maluku island of Halmahera in Indonesia.

Immediately to the north of the Philippine Trench is the East Luzon Trench. They are separated, with
their continuity interrupted and displaced, by Benham Plateau on the Philippine Sea Plate.[12]

The Philippine trench is hypothesized to be younger than 8–9 million years ago. The central part of the
Philippine fault formed during the Plio-Pleistocene times [13] is considered to be an active depression of
the Earth's crust.[14] The trench formed from a collision between the Palawan and Zamboanga plates.
This caused a change in geological processes going from a convergent zone to a subduction zone. The
subduction zone is located west to east of the Philippine Islands.[13] The rate of subduction on these
plates is estimated to be about 15 cm per year.[12] A convergent zone borders an estimate of 45% of
the Philippine Trench today.[13]

Although there are vast areas of subduction zones, some authors have considered this region to have
low seismic activity,[15] though the USGS has recorded many earthquakes with magnitude ≥ 7.2 in the
region as shown by the map to the side. Most recently, in 2012 the Philippine Trench experienced an
earthquake of Mw 7.6 (the 2012 Samar earthquake). It hit the trench with a hypocenter depth of 34.9
km.[15] Areas adjacent to the subduction zones have experienced large seismic activity. In 1897,
northern Samar experienced a Ms 7.3 earthquake while in 1924 southern Mindanao experienced one
with a Ms 8.2.[15]

Depth
The trench reaches one of the greatest depths in the ocean, third only to the Mariana trench and the
Tonga trench. Its deepest point is known as Galathea Depth and reaches 10,540 meters (34,580 ft) or
(5,760 fathoms).[12]

Where is Batanes?

Batanes is the northernmost province of the Philippines. It is composed of three major islands namely,
Itbayat, Sabtang and Batan. Basco, the capital of Batanes, is located in Batan Island.

What is happening in Batanes?

At 4:16 AM on 27 July 2019, Saturday, a Magnitude 5.4 earthquake shook the Batanes Islands. Its
epicenter is located 12 kilometers north of Itbayat, Batanes and originated at a depth of 12 kilometers.
At 7:37 AM, an earthquake with Magnitude 5.9 occurred 21 kilometers north of Itbayat, Batanes at a
depth of 7 kilometers. At 9:24 AM, a Magnitude 5.8 earthquake occurred, located 11 kilometers north of
Itbayat, Batanes, with a depth of 11 kilometers. Each event was followed by small-magnitude
earthquakes. As of 8:00 PM of 27 July 2019, 104 aftershocks have been recorded by the DOST-PHIVOLCS
seismic monitoring network.

The Magnitude 5.4 earthquake generated ground shaking felt at PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale
(PEIS) VI (Very Strong) in Itbayat, Batanes. Intensity III (Weak) was also felt in Basco and Sabtang,
Batanes.

The larger Magnitude 5.9 earthquake generated stronger ground shaking felt at Intensity VII
(Destructive) in Itbayat, Batanes, Intensity V (Strong) in Basco, Ivana, Mahatao, Batanes, and Intensity IV
(Moderately Strong) in Sabtang and Uyugan, Batanes. Both ground shaking events resulted to casualties
and damages to buildings and infrastructure near the epicentral area.

Prior to the moderate-sized earthquakes on July 27, earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 4.2 to
4.8 occurred from July 22 to 26, 2019. The maximum reported ground shaking intensity was IV.

In addition to the type of building materials used, these earthquake events could have weakened the
buildings and structures prior to the M5.9 earthquake event, resulting in greater damage than would
have been expected.

Have strong to major earthquakes affected Batanes in the past?

At least 18 moderate to strong earthquakes have occurred in the vicinity of Batanes in the past.
Earthquake events up to Magnitude 6.9 and maximum Intensity VII ground shaking occurred in the area
from 1892 to 2016 based on SEASEE Report and PHIVOLCS Earthquake Catalog. The 16 July 2000 M6.4
earthquake significantly damaged Basco Cathedral.

Why do earthquakes occur in Batanes?

Earthquakes in Batanes are generated by subduction activities along the Manila Trench or the East
Luzon Trough. Earthquakes may also be a result of movement along offshore active faults. In addition,
there are other nearby inland local faults, which may not be manifested on the surface, that could be
potential sources of small to moderate-magnitude earthquakes.

What can we expect from the current earthquake activity?

The current seismic trend indicates that the M5.4 earthquake at 4:16 AM is likely one of the foreshocks
of the M5.9 earthquake at 7:37 AM. The succeeding small-magnitude earthquakes are classified as
aftershocks, which may continue to occur for several days to weeks. Some of these may be felt if the
epicenter is closer to populated areas. The occurrence of an earthquake higher than M5.9 however may
not be discounted.

Aside from strong ground shaking, what other seismic hazards are life-threatening?

Landslides, rock falls, and other types of mass movements may occur in mountainous or hilly areas.
Liquefaction effects such as sand boils, lateral spread and subsidence may affect low-lying, water-
saturated, sandy areas near the river banks or coasts. Tsunamis may be generated by large offshore
magnitude earthquakes or by submarine landslides.

Did these earthquakes trigger a tsunami?

No. While the epicenters of these earthquakes are offshore and have shallow depths, no destructive
tsunami waves were generated because the magnitude of these events are still small to significantly
cause large surface displacements of the sea floor. Earthquakes with magnitude 6.5 or above may
generate tsunamis. In addition, the movement of the fault that generated the earthquakes was mainly
horizontal.

Can these present earthquakes indicate volcanic activity?

No. Although Iraya Volcano is located in Basco, Batanes, the present network of instruments shows no
indication of any significant change of monitoring parameters suggesting renewed magmatic activity.

However, as part of PHIVOLCS’ monitoring procedures for moderately large earthquakes occurring near
active volcanoes, the Institute will closely monitor the earthquake activity, as well as any unusual activity
that may be monitored at Iraya Volcano.

What should be done by the affected communities?

People are reminded to be cautious of structures visibly weakened or with signs of damage by the 27
July 2019 earthquake events, as these impacts may further be aggravated by the aftershocks. In case of
houses and other buildings with visible damage, it is recommended to temporarily avoid occupancy of
these structures and immediate coordination and inspection by the Municipal/City Engineering Office be
done. Engineers from the local government, other agencies and organizations should inspect buildings
and other infrastructures to determine their integrity, and recommend appropriate actions to
concerned affected groups or individuals.

Slopes should be checked for tension/incipient cracks that may have resulted from the strong ground
shaking. Tension cracks may render slopes more susceptible to landslides. These areas should be
avoided and appropriate warning signs should be placed.

The best course of action is preparedness. In case of another felt earthquake, it is recommended that
people should first protect themselves by doing the “drop, cover and hold”. At homes and offices, heavy
furniture should be strapped to the walls, and appliances be secured to prevent them from toppling and
causing injuries to persons. For offshore earthquakes capable of generating tsunamis, coastal
communities are advised to immediately evacuate to higher grounds or farther inland as specified in
their local tsunami evacuation plans.

What is the role of DOST-PHIVOLCS?

DOST-PHIVOLCS operates and maintains a network of 102 seismic stations spread across the Philippines.
Data from the seismic stations are used to determine the location, magnitude and other characteristics
of the earthquakes generated.

The closest seismic stations to Batanes are the staff-controlled Basco Seismic Station in Batanes and
Pasuquin Seismic Station in Pasuquin Ilocos Norte; and remote-telemetered seismic stations in Calayan
Island, Gonzaga and Pamplona, Cagayan, and Conner, Apayao.
Aside from monitoring the occurrence of earthquakes, DOST-PHIVOLCS also conducts hazards analyses
and assessments and, information, education and communication campaigns to the public. DOST-
PHIVOLCS works hand-in-hand with other government agencies in mitigating the damaging effects of
earthquakes.

Please visit our website at http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph, and our Facebook and Twitter accounts for
earthquake bulletins, volcano updates, hazard maps, and other information on earthquakes and
volcanoes. Earthquake observations may also be reported to DOST-PHIVOLCS at telephone numbers (02)
929-9254 and (02) 426-1468 to 79, local 124 and 125.

Ongoing

Primary country

Philippines

Ongoing

Philippines: Earthquakes - Jul 2019

Content Format:

News and Press Release

Language:

English

Disaster Type:

Earthquake

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