MAJOR EARTQUAKE ZONES IN

THE PHILIPPINES
Reported by:
Ronnel Norilla
Kelly Torero
What are Earthquake Zones?
• An area of the earth’s crust in which movements,
sometimes with associated volcanism, occur.
• Also known as Seismic Area
WORDL’S MAJOR EARTHQUAKE ZONES:

• North America
• South America
• Asia
• Europe
• Australia/New Zealand
• Antartica
• Africa
PACIFIC RING OF FIRE
• Also known as Circum-Pacific Belt or Ring of Fire
• A 40,000-km(24,900-mile) long horseshoe-shaped seismically active belt of
earthquake epicenters, volcanoes, and tectonic plate boundaries that fringes
the Pacific basin.
• It follows chains of Island arcs such as: Tonga, New Hebrides, Indonesia,
Philippines, Japan, Kuril Islands, West coasts North America and
Andes Mountains.
PACIFIC RING OF FIRE
• Most of the world’s earthquakes, the overwhelming majority of the world’s
strongest earthquakes, and approximately 75 percent of the world’s
volcanoes occur within the Ring of Fire.
EARTHQUAKES & VOLCANOES
• Some, but not all, earthquakes are related to volcanoes. For example, most
earthquakes are along the edges of tectonic plates. This is where most volcanoes are
too.
• Most earthquakes directly beneath a volcano are caused by the movement of
magma. The magma exerts pressure on the rocks until it cracks the rock. Then the
magma squirts into the crack and starts building pressure again. Every time the rock
cracks it makes a small earthquake. These earthquakes are usually too weak to be felt
but can be detected and recorded by sensitive instruments. Once the plumbing
system of the volcano is open and magma is flowing through it, constant
earthquake waves, called Harmonic Tremor., are recorded.
MAJOR VOLCANIC EVENTS IN THE
RING OF FIRE(since 1800):
• Mount Tambora in Indonesia (1815)
• Krakatoa in Indonesia (1883)
• Novarupta in Alaska (1912)
• Mount Saint Helens in the USA (1980)
• Mount Ruiz in Colombia(1985)
• Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines (1991)
MAJOR EARTHQUAKES IN THE RING OF FIRE:

• Chile Earthquake (1960)

• Alaska Earthquake (1964)
• Chile Earthquake (2010)
• Japan Earthquake (2011)
• Indian Ocean Tsunami (2004)
THE PHILIPPINE ARCHIPELAGO
• As part of the Ring of Fire, the country is not new to earthquakes and
volcanic activities.
• The country lies along the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” home to several tectonic
plate boundaries that stretch from Indonesia to the coast of Chile within a
40,000-km arc of seismic violence that triggers volcanic eruptions and
unleashes earthquakes almost every day.
THE PHILIPPINE ARCHIPELAGO

• Three tectonic plates around the Philippine Archipelago:

• Philippine Plate (east)
• Indo-Australian Plate (south)
• Eurasian Plate (west)
FAULT LINES
• A fault line is defined as a geological fracture wherein the movement of
masses of rock has displaced parts of the Earth’s crust. A rapid movement
of a fault line may produce a powerful energy that can trigger a strong
earthquake.
• Fault line = earthquake zone
ACTIVE FAULT LINES IN THE PHILIPPINES:

• Western Philippine Fault

• Eastern Philippine Fault
• The South of Mindanao Fault
• Central Philippine Fault
• Marikina/ Valley Fault System
THE BIG ONE
• In, Metro Manila, the “Big One” applies to a scenario wherein movements
along the Valley Fault System could trigger a 7.2 magnitude quake. The
East Valley Fault straddles 10km in Rizal while the West Valley Fault runs
over more than 100km through the provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite,
Laguna and Metro Manila.
• Scientists claimed that the 100km fault, which last moved in 1658, moves
every 400 years.
PHIVOLCS
• The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) is a service
institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) that is principally
mandated to mitigate disasters that may arise from volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunami
and other related geotectonic phenomena.
• Mandates
• Predict the occurrence of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes and their related geotectonic phenomena
• Determine how eruptions and earthquakes shall occur and also areas likely to be affected
• Generate sufficient data for forecasting volcanic eruptions and earthquakes
• Mitigate hazards of volcanic activities through appropriate detection, forecast and warning system
• Formulate appropriate disaster preparedness plans
EARTHQUAKE MONITORING
• The Institute's National Earthquake Monitoring and Information aims
to provide accurate and timely information on significant earthquakes and
tsunami events that may significantlly impact the Philippines; and to ensure
the accessibility and integrity of earthquake data.
• Earthquake monitoring in the country has been enhanced with the operation
of ninety two (92) Seismic Network, ten (10) Seismic Stations of which
were commissioned in 2016. With 64 stations in 2010, PHIVOLCS-DOST
surpassed its target of establishing an 85-station network by end of 2016.
SOURCES:
• https://business.inquirer.net/269314/devastating-faults-of-the-big-one
• https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/index.php/earthquake/earthquake-monitoring
• https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/index.php/earthquake/earthquake-generators-of-the-philippines
• https://www.thoughtco.com/seismic-hazard-maps-of-the-world-1441205
• https://www.britannica.com/place/Ring-of-Fire
• http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/how-are-volcanoes-and-earthquakes-related
• https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/index.php/about-us/about-phivolcs