A map showing the center of ground shaking in Calbiga, Samar past noon on Monday. (Phivolcs image)
TACLOBAN CITY – A magnitude 5.6 earthquake rocked some parts of Samar and Leyte provinces past noon Monday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.
The quake struck 11 kilometers northeast of Calbiga, Samar, at 12:57 p.m.
An Intensity V shaking was felt in Calbiga and nearby areas and Intensity IV was registered in Tacloban City and nearby towns.
Phivolcs said both quakes were tectonic in origin, which means the tremor was caused by the movement of an active fault in the area.
Local authorities are still assessing damage caused by the ground shaking.
Phivolcs said earthquakes in Samar are generated by the movement of the active faults which include the Central Samar, Eastern Samar, and Salcedo Faults, and subduction (diving) of the Philippine Sea Plate along the Philippine Trench.
There are also other nearby local faults, which may not be manifested on the surface, and may be sources of small to moderate-magnitude earthquakes.
Last Friday, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Sarangani.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on Sunday that at least eight people were feared dead. (PNA)
