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Recent movement of Leyte fault line calls for readiness: Phivolcs

By Sarwell Meniano

March 23, 2022, 12:12 pm

<p><strong>EARTHQUAKE HAZARD.</strong> The red line shows the Leyte Island fault line. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the recent movement of the Leyte Island fault line is a reminder to the public to prepare for a stronger earthquake. <em>(Photo courtesy of AGU online library) </em></p>

EARTHQUAKE HAZARD. The red line shows the Leyte Island fault line. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the recent movement of the Leyte Island fault line is a reminder to the public to prepare for a stronger earthquake. (Photo courtesy of AGU online library) 

PALO, Leyte – The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the recent movement of the Leyte Island fault line is a reminder to the public to prepare for a stronger earthquake.

Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum said on Wednesday that the magnitude 5.3 earthquake in Burauen, Leyte on March 21 is expected after the 2017 Leyte earthquake.

“We should take these earthquake occurrences as a reminder that we need to prepare for strong earthquakes. We don’t know if this will be succeeded by big events,” Solidum said in an interview with Philippine News Agency during his visit here.

The Leyte Island fault line with several segments, is part of the 1,200-kilometer-long Philippine fault zone, a major tectonic feature that transects the whole Philippine archipelago from northwestern Luzon to southeastern Mindanao.

It was on July 6, 2017, when a magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit Ormoc City and the town of Kanaga in Leyte causing at least four deaths and injuring more than a hundred others.

“Burauen is the south of epicenter in 2017 and this is the segment that we were expecting activities after the Ormoc. When the fault moves, it transfers some stress to neighboring segments,” he said.

In 2018, Phivolcs warned of a possible strong earthquake in central Leyte as the Philippine Fault in the province never had significant shaking in more than 100 years.

The agency observed that a 100-meter portion of the Philippine Fault system stretching from Albuera to Mahaplag towns in Leyte is ripe enough for a strong earthquake. (PNA) 

 

 

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