Magnitude 6.7 quake hits Davao Occ town

A MAGNITUDE 6.7 earthquake rocked Sarangani town in Davao Occidental yesterday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Phivolcs initially reported the quake at magnitude 7.1 but downgraded it to magnitude 6.7 after a recalculation.

“That was the initial estimate (magnitude 7.1) but as we received more information, as we received more data coming from our seismic network, we had a recalculation,” said Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol.

The Sarangani Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said no damage has been monitored.

In a report, Phivolcs said the quake occurred at around 4:48 a.m. Its epicenter was some 154 km southeast of Balut Island in Sarangani town.

The quake, of tectonic in origin, had a depth of 73 km, Phivolcs also said.

It was felt at Intensity IV in Sarangani town; Glan, Kiamba, and Malungon towns in Sarangani province. The shaking was also felt at Intensity III in Nabunturan and Pantukan towns in Davao de Oro; Digos City in Davao del Sur; Davao City; Don Marcelino and Jose Abad Santos towns in Davao Occidental; Matalam town in Cotabato; Alabel and Malapatan in Sarangani province; Koronadal City, and Polomolok, T’Boli, and Tupi towns in South Cotabato; and General Santos City.

Phivolcs said it has recorded 38 aftershocks, ranging from magnitude 2.5 to 3.8, as of yesterday 7 a.m. yesterday.

As to damage, Bacolcol said, “If it’s Intensity IV, we are not expecting any damage.”

Bacolcol said the epicenter of the quake is actually in Indonesia, near Talaud Island. He said the shaking in Indonesia may be stronger than in the Philippines.

“It’s deep and far, it’s in Talaud Island in Indonesia,” he said.

Phivolcs said in a statement, “Geographically, the epicenter of the magnitude 6.7 earthquake on January 9 at 4:48 a.m. is in Indonesia but recorded by the Philippine Seismic Network and felt in southern Mindanao.”

“In the said epicentral area, the tectonic setting is complicated as there are two interacting trenches (Halmahera and Sangihe Trenches). The magnitude 6.7 event is generated by the Sangihe Trench in Indonesia,” it also said.

The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said