UNDERSTANDING

EARTHQUAKES AND
EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS

BABY JANE T. PUNONGBAYAN

Seismological Observation and Earthquake Prediction Division
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
PHIVOLCS - DOST
Network of Earthquake
Monitoring Stations in
the Philippines

30 unmanned stations:
1 in Ormoc
1 in Maasin

29 manned stations
1 in Palo

5 seismo-volcanological
observatories

Metro Manila
micronetwork with 5
telemetered
seismic stations

Temporary
Hinunangan Network
5 stations
Seismic monitoring station in El Nido, Palawan
PHIVOLCS seismologists: earthquake hunters

4,000th quake in 4 days!

PHIVOLCS: Source of earthquake information in the Philippines

Details of earthquake location:
 Origin time, coordinates, depth,
source (tectonic or volcanic),
generator
 Intensities of affected areas

Tsunami bulletins and warnings

Advisory in times of necessary
evacuation
Information transmitted by tri-media (tv,
radio and print)
 What have we learned?

PHIVOLCS is the agency mandated to
monitor earthquakes in the Philippines

A seismically active area may produce

hundreds to thousands of earthquakes in a
brief span of time (hours to several weeks)
 Earth

Our planet is
dynamic

The outermost
layer is broken
into pieces

These pieces
called “plates”
are moving,
away or toward
each other
Mantle convection is driving the earth’s tectonic plates
The Earth is dynamic: Plate Tectonics
The Philippines is a region between tectonic plates

EQUATOR
 Fault
- form in rocks when the stresses overcome the
internal strength of the rock resulting in a fracture
 THE CRUST IS FRAGMENTED

Tectonic plates
Earthquakes are found along plate boundaries
 What have we learned?

Earthquakes are natural phenomena
brought about by slow but powerful motions
within the earth

The internal motion within the Earth

induces deformation along the fragile
surface of the planet

Sudden ground deformation produces

seismic waves or earthquakes
A weak to violent shaking
of the ground produced by
the sudden movement of
rock materials below the
earth’s surface.
 TYPES OF NATURAL EARTHQUAKES

1. Tectonic 2. Volcanic
- earthquakes produced - earthquakes produced
by sudden movement along by movement of magma
faults and plate boundaries beneath volcanoes
 Particle Motion upon
passage of different
types of seismic waves

P – primary wave;
displacement of media along
direction of propagation
(up-down)

S – secondary;
displacement of media
perpendicular to direction of
wave propagation (sideways)

Surface waves:
1. Love waves
2. Rayleigh waves (rotational)
 Seismogram

Distance of point of observation from earthquake source is determined using

the arrival times of different seismic waves, usually P and S waves
Locating the Epicenter

Travel Time and earth structure

Velocity Models

Refracted and Reflected Phases
 FAULT

FOCUS vs. EPICENTER

Philippines is an earthquake country !

• at least 20
earthquakes
are recorded
per day

•4–5
earthquakes
are felt per
week

Instrumental Data (ISC)

1964-1999
M7.5 01 Apr 1955 Lanao
(291/713)

M7.3 02 Aug 1968 Casiguran

(270/600)

M7.3 07 Apr 1970 Baler

(15/200)

17 Aug 1976 Moro Gulf

(3,739/8,000)

16 July 1990 Luzon

(1,283/2,786)

15 November 1994 Mindoro

(78)
Fact:
The Philippine Archipelago
has a complex tectonic setting
with several trenches and
many active faults
 Two ways of describing the strength of an earthquake

1. Intensity 2. Magnitude
perceived strength of an based on instrumentally
earthquake based on derived information and
relative effect to people correlates strength with the
and structures; generally amount of total energy
released at the earthquake’s
higher near the epicenter
point of origin
 Magnitude <energy>

Compares logarithmic of amplitude with
distance from epicenter

Types depending on instrumentation:
Name Description Period (s)

Ml Local 0.1 – 1.0

Magnitude Wood-
Anderson type
seismograph

Mb Body 1.0 – 5.0

Magnitude
Ms Surface 20
Magnitude
Mw Moment > 200
Magnitude
 RICHTER MAGNITUDE SCALE
1 magnitude below 1 are only detectable when an ultra sensitive seismometer is operated
under favorable conditions.
2 M below 3 are "hardly perceptible shocks" and are not felt.

3 M 3 to 4 are "very feeble shocks" and only felt near the epicenter.

4 M 4 to 5 are "feeble shocks" where damages are not usually reported.

5 M 5 to 6 are "earthquakes with moderate strength“; felt over the wide areas; some of
them cause small local damages near the epicenter.
6 M 6 to 7 are "strong earthquakes“; accompanied by local damages near epicenters.

7 M 7 to 8 are the "major earthquakes“; can cause considerable damages near epicenters;
may generate tsunamis.
8 M 8 to 9 are the "great earthquakes" occurring once or twice a year. When in land areas,
damages affect wide areas. When under the sea, considerable tsunamis are produced.
Many aftershocks occur in areas approximately 100 to 1,000 kilometers in diameter.

9 M over 9 have never occurred since the data based on the seismographic observations
became available.
10 Earthquakes with M over 9 have never occurred since the data based on the
seismographic observations became available.
• There are different types of magnitude depending on type
of seismograph used: Ml, mb, Ms, Mw, Mwp, etc.
• Magnitude scale is open ended (no limit)
Richter Approximate Approximate TNT for
Example
Magnitude (Ml)00 Seismic Energy Yield

5.6 kg (12.4
0.5 large Hand grenade
lb)
1.0 32 kg (70 lb) Construction site blast
4.0 1 kiloton Small atomic bomb
5.0 32 kiloton Nagasaki atomic bomb
1990 Baguio (Luzon) earthquake
7.8 1 gigaton
(67,000x hiroshima)
9.3 32 gigatons 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
1960 Chile earthquake (strongest
9.5
recorded earthquake)
estimate for a 2 km rocky meteorite impacting at 25
10.0 1 teraton km/s

12.0 Catastrophic to whole earth

Indonesia 2004
 INTENSITY
• Decreases with distance
from source
• can be gauged by Assumption
students!! Very easy…
INTENSITY VII INTENSITY VIII

INTENSITY IX
INTENSITY VIII
 What have we learned?

Magnitude = instruments

Intensity = personal observations

An increase of one unit on the Richter Scale corresponds to
approximately a 30-fold increase in the total energy released.

Large magnitude earthquakes have occurred in the
Philippines in the past

Large magnitude earthquakes are inevitable in the Philippines
because of its geodynamic setting and the presence of faults

YOU and your class may contribute in intensity reporting!

Basic seismology deciphers information about the earth and
its movements using the imprint of the passing of seismic
waves
 Basic Terms

Seismology - science

Seismic - pertaining to earthquake

Seismograph - instrument

Seismogram – record of earthquake

Aftershock - following the mainshock

Foreshock –before a mainshock
 Seismic Hazards:
dangers posed by large earthquakes

• Ground Shaking - shake

• Ground Rupture - cut
• Liquefaction - very soft soil
• Landslides - slope failure
• Tsunami - waves
Secondary Hazards:
•Fire
•Lateral spreading, etc.
Intense shaking, earthquake of Kobe, Japan 1995
 intense shaking + weak structure = building damage or collapse

Ex. Hyatt Hotel in Baguio City after the magnitude 7.8 earthquake of July 16, 1990
USA
INDIA
Ground rupture with vertical displacement
Intense shaking + loosely hanged objects =
falling objects
 Hazard 2: GROUND RUPTURE

fissuring or faulting along the surface

The creation of new or the renewal of
movements of old fractures, oftentimes
with the two blocks on both sides moving
in opposite directions
Seismic
Hazards

Ground
rupture
 • Reverse Fault

Photo of Nojima Fault in Japan, fissured during the M=7.2 1995 Kobe earthquake
 Ground rupture and fissuring
Taiwan Earthquake, 1999
Faulted outcrop (Brgy. Salog, Leyte)

Legend:
Active Fault: trace certain

Active Fault: trace approximate

Offset stream
Salog Elementary School, Leyte
Hazard 3: Liquefaction
- a process that transforms
the behavior of a body of
sediment from that of a
solid to that of a liquid
Liquefaction in Hinunangan, Southern Leyte July 19, 2007
Brgy. Badiangon

Photo courtesy of PHIVOLCS

HINUNANGAN JULY 2007 QRT Team

Brgy. Das-ay
Liquefaction: The ground loses strength and structures
built on top of it may sink and tilt...
 Earthquake-induced Landslides
READY MAPPING 2007: Dr. Arturo Daag and Ms. Angela Montes

Occurrence of a strong earthquake

Elevated areas: steeper slopes, more prone

Thick soil cover: more loose materials to fall

Proximity to fault: stronger shaking in areas
near the earthquake-generating fault

Water saturation of materials: wet slopes
easier to landslide
Landslide
Hazard 4: Landslides and Rockfalls
 Hinunangan, Southern Leyte July 19, 2007 11:10 PM
Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake

Intensity VII in
Hinunangan

Landslide
in Brgy.
Biasong

Photo: Punongbayan, BJT 2007

Tension cracks in Brgy. Manalog July 19, 2007
(Intensity VII in Hinunangan)
 Ground Failure - Landslide
INTENSE shaking +

Slope

Vegetation

Water content

Pre-existing
structures
Secondary Hazard: Fire
 COMMON QUESTIONS:

Can earthquakes be predicted?

Is there a fault passing through your

school?

Where is the Marikina Fault?

Is there a risk of tsunami in
MetroManila?

Who are at risk?
~3 km
 Is there a possibility of a big earthquake in MetroManila?
The MetroManila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMEIRS)

Some Earthquake Models/Scenario for Metro Manila

Model Model 08 Model 13
Magnitude 7.2 7.9
Fault Inland Fault Subduction
Mechanism

WVF
Seismic Almost VIII, VIII at West of
Intensity IX alongside Metropolitan
(PEIS)
Marikina Mania, VII at
River and other area
Manila Bay
Tsunami Will not Maximum 4m
occur average 2m
alongside
Manila Bay
INVENTORY OF CRITICAL FACILITIES HAZARD MAPPING
Ex. Schools Ex. Groundshaking for West Valley Fault
Mag=7.2 Scenario 08
 PEIS Intensity VIII – Very Destructive

People are panicky and find it difficult to stand even outdoors

Many well-built buildings are considerably damaged

Concrete dikes and foundations of bridges destroyed by ground
settling

Railway tracks may be broken; tombstones may be displaced,
twisted or overturned

Utility posts, towers and monuments may tilt or topple

Water and sewer pipes may be bent, twisted or broken

Sinking or titling of structures due to liquefaction

Landslides and rockfalls; Boulders thrown out near epicenter

Fissures or rupture observed

Water splashes over dikes or or riverbanks
August 2, 1968 (Ms 7.3); Casiguran
Fault-East Luzon Trench region

The Ruby Tower in Binondo,

Manila, a large six-storey
building containing 38
commercial units in its first two
floors and 76 residential units
in its upper four floors; Most of
the building collapsed except
for a part of the northern end
of its first and second floors.
268 persons died and 260 were
injured.
 ESTIMATED IMPACTS OF WORST CASE SCENARIO EARTHQUAKE
(Magnitude=7.2 West Valley Fault)

Four out of ten buildings and houses will be damaged

Public Purpose Buildings: Heavily Damaged 8 - 10 %

Schools 1412, Hospitals 177, Fire
Fighting 124, Police 43, MMDCC
Organizations and 17 LGU City Partly Damaged 20 – 25 %
and Municipal Halls 53
Residential buildings heavily damaged 13%
or collapsed 170,000
moderately 25.6% or
damaged 350,000
Human Loss dead 34,000,
With population of 9,932,560 90% from pressure of
collapsed building
injured 120,000
PHIVOLCS has the knowledge, it is our
mission to prepare the public.

Some of our information and

earthquake campaigns:

Nationwide lectures and seminars

Earthquake drills

Tsunami warning systems

Tsunami warning signage

Tsunami drills
Make the drill a nice learning
experience …
http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph
For requests/inquiries:

Director Renato U. Solidum, Jr.

PHIVOLCS Bldg., C.P. Garcia Ave.
U.P. Diliman, Q.C. 1101
Tel: 426-1468 loc. 112 or 124 or 125
Fax: 927-8366