Two Magnitude 4 earthquakes occurred in Region 8 during Maundy Thursday and Good Friday

 Two magnitude 4 earthquakes have occurred in Eastern Visayas during Holy Week.
PHOTO from USGS.GOV

TACLOBAN CITY, PHILIPPINES -  A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck east of Borongan, Eastern Samar early morning today (Good Friday) at 1:20 am, the Philippine Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in a bulletin issued at 3:15 am today.

Phivolcs said the earthquake was tectonic in nature and felt at intensity 4 in Borongan City, intensity 3 in Llorente, Maydolong, Salcedo, San Julian and Sulat, Eastern Samar. Intensity 2 have been experienced in some areas in nearby Leyte Province.

Meanwhile, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake have occurred during Maundy Thursday at 2:08 pm. The earthquake which was also tectonic in nature, according to Phivolcs, was located west of Balangkayan, Eastern Samar. Intensity 5 has been felt in Balangkayan, Maydolong, Eastern Samar and Borongan City.

It was also sensed at Hernani, Llorente, San Julian, Lawaan and General MacArthur Eastern Samar at intensity 4, while Tacloban City felt intensity 2.

No aftershocks and damages are expected, Phivolcs told.


EARTHQUAKES BECOMING A NORM

Last July 2017, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake jolted southwest of Jaro, Leyte which caused damages and black-outs in several provinces in the Visayas including Cebu, Bohol and Leyte. This is because of the powerful earthquake that affected the geothermal power plant in Kananga.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the earthquake which was felt then was tectonic in origin and part of the dreaded Central Leyte Fault.

Before the Jaro earthquake a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Surigao City in the same year. The earthquake was scaled at intensity seven which was destructive. At least 300 houses in Surigao del Norte were damage and seven bridges in the province collapsed.

By the afternoon of February 14, 2017, at least 140 reported aftershocks were recorded by PHIVOLCS. On March 5, 2017, Surigao experienced an aftershock of magnitude 5.9 which killed one person and injured 29 persons.

In the official Phivolcs facebook page, two to ten earthquakes are recorded every day.