Mindanao, Philippines Earthquake

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Posting Date: March 6, 2002, 8:00:00 AM

A powerful earthquake struck the southern Philippines yesterday, Tuesday, March 5, 2002, at 5:21 a.m. local time (21:16 UTC). The U.S. Geological Survey estimated the moment magnitude (Mw) of the earthquake at 7.2. Focal depth was estimated at about 20.5 miles (33 km). The quake was centered on the island of Mindanao, about 75 miles (115 km) west of General Santos and about 620 miles (1,005 km) south-southeast of Manila, capital of the Philippines. The quake was the strongest to hit the Philippines in more than a decade, and was felt over the entire island of Mindanao. Many buildings were reported damaged or collapsed and power was interrupted for up to 12 hours. At least 11 people were killed and more than 100 were injured. More then 5,000 villagers on Sarangani Island fled to high ground when the sea swelled by nine feet. According to the U.S. Geology Service’s National Earthquake Information Center, the thrust earthquake occurred landward of the Cotabato Trench, part of a distributed zone of deformation between the Sunda Plate and the Philippine Sea Plate. The plates are converging at a rate of about 6 cm per year. The current earthquake is likely to have been caused by an interface event on the boundary between the subducting plate and the overlying lithosphere. AIR will continue to monitor events in this area.

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Posting Date: March 6, 2002, 8:00:00 AM