Saturday, July 16, 2005
Cebu hardly felt earthquake
An earthquake occurred at 6:53 a.m. yesterday, which was felt in the cities of Iloilo, Bacolod and Dumaguete and in Metro Cebu.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded the earthquake as having a magnitude of 5 on the Richter scale, which means it is of moderate strength but felt over a wider radius.
It occurred about 13 kilometers south and 35 degrees west of Iloilo City.
In Iloilo, its epicenter, the earthquake had a level 5 intensity, which meant it was strong enough to awaken those asleep. In an intensity 5 earthquake, strong rocking and shaking can be felt all throughout a building.
In Metro Cebu, Phivolcs said the tremor had a level 2 intensity, which meant only a few people resting indoors felt it and that a slight swinging of objects was observed.
The Phivolcs earthquake advisory revealed that aftershocks may occur but, as of yesterday, no damage was reported except for minor cracks in a schoolroom in Jaro and a stage in Manduriao, both in Iloilo City.
The tremor was reported to be tectonic in origin - it was caused by the jostling of the earth’s tectonic plates.
A report from Agence France Presse stated that the tremor alarmed several residents in Iloilo. It said people rushed out of buildings, into the street and plaza, when the tremor occurred.
Phivolcs had identified 11 earthquake-prone areas in the Philippine archipelago.
Areas that are most “seismically” active, or where most earthquakes occur, are eastern Minda-nao, Samar and Leyte.
Cebu is far from the Philippine fault zone and has not experienced a strong earthquake since 1991. (LAP)
(July 16, 2005 issue)
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