MANILA — State experts are studying if the magnitude 4.2 earthquake in South Cotabato on Friday (June 16) is related to the tremor that shook Davao Occidental in April this year.
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the 2:07 a.m. earthquake this Friday struck 19 km south 49° east of South Cotabato’s T’boli municipality at a depth of 23 km.
“We’re looking into whether such earthquake was an aftershock of the magnitude 7.2 tremor off Davao Occidental province’s Sarangani municipality on April 29 this year,” said Phivolcs science research assistant Bhenz Rodriguez.
He noted T’boli isn’t too far from Sarangani, where most aftershocks of the April tremor clustered, so Phivolcs is studying the matter.
According to Phivolcs, the T’boli earthquake was of tectonic origin and was reported at intensity 4 in Gen. Santos City.
Phivolcs is expecting neither aftershocks nor damages from that earthquake.
“The earthquake’s magnitude was moderate only so damages and aftershocks from this event are unlikely,” he said.
He noted as of 7 a.m. Friday, Phivolcs hasn’t yet monitored an aftershock of that earthquake. CATHERINE TEVES/PNA – northboundasia.com