Magnitude 6 Earthquake Shakes Southern Philippines for 40 Seconds, Aftershocks Possible

On Wednesday, a magnitude 6 earthquake shook the southern Philippines for 40 seconds while local authorities issued a warning about potential damage and aftershocks.

Magnitude 6 Earthquake

According to the US Geological Service, a magnitude 6 earthquake occurred at 6:44 PM close to the municipality of Monkayo in Davao de Oro province.

In the remote and mountainous region, popular for gold mining, there were no immediate reports of significant damage. Monkayo's Police Staff Sergeant Harvey Asayas told AFP that the quake started strong but gradually diminished over the course of 40 seconds before ceasing.

Asayas said that the police, firefighters, and disaster officers are currently patrolling the area to evaluate the damage.

The nearby municipality of New Bataan's police chief, police corporal Lucita Ambrocio, called the earthquake "quick." As soon as the police station began to tremble, Ambrocio and her coworkers sprinted outside. Ten minutes later, her coworkers returned to the building. Ambrocio looked around the area and noticed a tiny crack in the barracks.

Maricar Melgar, 51, a resident of the nearby Montevista municipality, claimed that the earthquake was so powerful she feared her building would collapse. She added that the earthquake she experienced at this time was arguably the strongest that she have experienced. During her interview, her body was still trembling.

About 40 kilometers southwest of the epicenter, in Tagum City, Davao del Norte province, power was knocked out and residents also fled their homes.

Meanwhile, Grace Jao, 40 years old, said that they were eating when they felt the house begin to shake and it was strong. She claimed that they took safety precautions by running outside. When they returned, they did not notice any damage inside the house.

Aftershocks

According to USGS, smaller earthquakes known as "aftershocks" are those that happen in the same general area days to years after a bigger event or "mainshock." This is because they happen between 1-2 fault lengths away and just before the background seismicity level picks back up.

Typically, aftershocks are minor fault readjustments along the part of the fault that slipped during the mainshock. With time, these aftershocks become less frequent. Deep earthquakes (>30 km) historically have a much lower likelihood of being followed by aftershocks compared to shallow earthquakes.

Daily Earthquakes

The Philippines gets daily doses of earthquakes with the majority of earthquakes are too weak for humans to feel. However, every once in a while strong ones that can cause harm do so without any warning and without the aid of any technology.

The country is situated along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an area of highly active volcanic and seismic activity. It stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and all the way across the Pacific basin.

Regular earthquake drills are conducted by the country's civil defense office, AFP News - Barron's reports.

Previous Major Earthquakes in the Philippines

The last significant earthquake occurred in the northern Philippines in October.

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the mountain town of Dolores in the Abra province injured several people, destroyed buildings, and knocked out electricity for the majority of the area.

Last July, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in the mountainous Abra region caused landslides and ground fissures. 11 people were killed and hundreds more were injured, PhilStar Global reports.