Earthquake Occurrences in the Philippines
Posted on Tuesday, 13 October 2015
Earthquake
Occurences in the Philippines
By Apolinario Villalobos
The Philippines is within the Pacific
seismic belt and “ring of fire”. This fact made the archipelago a literally
explosive nation in Asia.
In 1937, Manila was rocked by a severe
earthquake that destroyed many buildings in the commercial district. In August
2, 1968, another earthquake occurred violently that an apartment building
collapsed, killing hundreds of people.
In June 3, 1868, a violent earthquake
caused destruction to the Manila Cathedral and hundreds of buildings and homes.
The Visayas and Mindanao islands were rocked by a series of destructive
earthquakes in April 1, 1955, ranging from Intensity 3 to Intensity 8, and
consequently, hundreds of lives were lost in areas around Lake Lanao.
The most destructive earthquake so far,
that had the most disastrous aftermath, struck Mindanao in August 17, 1976 with
an intensity that marked the gauge at 8. The earthquake caused a massive tidal
wave that left 90,000 people homeless, 3,000 dead, and 3,000 missing. Millions
of properties were destroyed.
To date, Manila is so much concerned about
the biggest occurrence of an earthquake, “The Big One” which based on historical
facts the “cycle” indicates that it can occur anytime. Regular earthquake
drills are being conducted in public places such as malls and government
buildings, as well as, schools and offices. Warnings have already been sounded
off to those who are residing right above the fault line. The Phivolcs has also
printed guidelines and a map that indicate the coverage and extent of the fault
line.
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