Moderate 5.8-magnitude earthquake rattles typhoon-hit Mindanao
Just days after the southern Philippines island of Mindanao got battered by Typhoon “Pablo”, a moderate earthquake struck the already damaged area of Davao Oriental, according to a Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) earthquake bulletin Monday.
The 5.8- magnitude quake struck at 5:45 am (2145 GMT) Monday around 11 kilometres northwest of the city of San Isidro at a depth of 32 kilometres,
The intensity of the tremor was felt at level IV in Davao City and Mati. There is no expected damage from the quake and aftershocks are not expected, according to Phivolcs.
According to the Richter magnitude scale, an earthquake that registers at 5.0-5.9 is considered moderate. It can cause moderate to major damage to poorly constructed buildings. At most, none to slight damage to well-designed buildings. Can be felt far from the epicenter at lower intensities and across wider areas. Deaths can depend on the effects.
The Philippines lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire, which causes the country to have frequent seismic and volcanic activity. Much larger numbers of earthquakes of smaller magnitude occur very regularly due to the meeting of major tectonic plates in the region.