TRENCHES IN THE PHILIPPINES

There are several trenches in the Philippines, seven of those are Manila Trench, East Luzon
Trench, Philippine Trench, Negros Trench, Sulu Trench, Cotabato Trench and the famous Mariana
trench. These trenches are said to be one of the reasons why earthquakes occur in the Philippines.

What are Trenches? "Steep depressions in the deepest parts of the ocean" are called
Trenches. The ocean crust of one tectonic plate is pushed under another plate, "raising mountains,
causing earthquakes, forming volcanoes on the seafloor and on land", and forming the ovean
trenches ('Ocean Trenches,' n.d.).

Going over the informations about these trenches, I learned about how it's formed and how
some of them affected the Philippines.

The Philippine Trench is a trench made by the collision of the Palawan and Zamboanga plates.
This "caused a change in geological processes going from a convergent zone to a subduction zone".
It is also "is considered to be an active depression of the Earth's crust". ("Philippine Trench," n.d.)

The Manila Trench, located in the Pacific Ocean, west of Luzon and Mindoro. It was produced
by the subduction of the Sunda Plate (part of Eurasian Plate) under the Philippine Mobile Belt, This
trench is associated with rhe frequent earthquakes and the formation of the belt of volcanoes on
Luzon's west side, including Mt. Pinatubo. ("Manila Trench," n.d.)

East Luzon Trench in the east of Luzon is another subduction zone, claimed to be part of the
Philippine Trench. The subduction of this trench caused thrust faults to appear on the basement rock
of the east Luzon margin. Series of basement ridges lie beneath the Benham Rise that's near East
Luzon trench. ("East Luzon Trough," n.d.)

Negros-Sulu Trench near the islands of Negros and Panay will cause tremors and aftershocks
until it stopped moving, in accordance to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
(Phivolcs)-Negros Oriental station. Sipalay City in Negros Occidental, the closest to the Negros
Trench currently has an active subduction zone, according to Joe Molas of the Phivolcs station in
Sibulan, Negros Oriental. (Negros by night, 2013)

Sulu trench and Cotabato Trench are "two enormous underwater depressions that cause earth
movement" located in Mindanao (Sanchez, 2018). Cotabato Trench is a region of subduction in the
Celebes Sea crossing the Moro Gulf in Southern Mindanao while the Sulu Trench can be found in the
Sulu Sea ('1976 Moro Gulf earthquake,' n.d.). A strong earthquake followed by a tsunami can be
triggered if the Sulu Trench moves, as said by a former official of Phivolcs. If this happens, the
Zamboanga Peninsula would receive extreme damage. (Rimando, 2018)

In conclusion, the trenches in the Philippines has a lot of effect on it, the earthquakes that it
cause when it move, the mountains and volcanoes made along with its formation, not only on land but
also on the seafloor.

Miccationem G. Ruiz STE10-Zeal

Bibliography:
 1976 Moro Gulf earthquake. (n.d.) Retrieved June 15, 2019. From Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Moro_Gulf_earthquake#Tectonic_summary

 East Luzon Trough. (n.d.) Retrieved June 15, 2019. From Geology Wiki:
https://geology.fandom.com/wiki/East_Luzon_Trough
 Manila Trench. (n.d.) Retrieved June 15, 2019. From Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Trench
 NEGROS BY NIGHT. (2011, July 13). "Negros Trench plates continues to move; more tremors
expected". Retrieved June 15, 2019. From
https://negrosbynight.wordpress.com/2011/07/13/negros-trench-plates-continue-to-
move-more-tremors-expected-pna/
 Ocean Trenches. (n.d.) Retrieved June 15, 2019. From https://www.whoi.edu/know-your-\
ocean/ocean-topics/seafloor-below/ocean-trenches/
 Philippine Trench. (n.d.) Retrieved June 15,2019. From Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Trench#Trenches_in_the_Philippine_region
 Rimando, Antonio P. (2018, October 4). ‘Earthquake, tsunami could hit Zamboanga
Peninsula’. Retrieved June 15, 2019. From https://www.manilatimes.net/earthquake-
tsunami-could-hit-zamboanga-peninsula/448051/.
 Sanchez, Dominic I. (2018, June 6). 'Killer quake, tsunami could happen in Zambo, warns
PHIVOLCS'. Retrieved June 15, 2019. From https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1008668.