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TACLOBAN CITY – The recent frequent earthquakes in different parts of the country are normal with the presence of onshore and offshore active faults, an official of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has said following the magnitude 5.8 Southern Leyte quake on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Jeffrey Perez, Phivolcs supervising science research specialist, said the country experiences an average of 30 ground-shaking daily, and there is nothing to be worried about.
"We will visit Southern Leyte to help people understand earthquakes. We expect that within our lifetime there are strong quakes with aftershocks. This happens due to sudden movement along faults and plate boundaries," Perez told reporters in a press briefing at the Philippine Air Force Tactical Operations Group here.
The Phivolcs set up temporary seismic stations to come up with accurate information about aftershocks in Southern Leyte's Panaon Island in the next weeks.
Currently, ground shakings on the island are detected through seismic stations in Maasin City, the provincial capital; Dinagat Island; and Palo and Javier towns in Leyte.
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"As of 8 a.m. today (Jan. 24), there are already 173 aftershocks, with 60 tagged as plotted. The strength of these aftershocks was from magnitudes 1.5 and 2.9," Perez added.
Other than Southern Leyte, recent plotted earthquakes in the past week were reported in Zamboanga del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Batanes, Batangas, Leyte, Sultan Kudarat, and Davao provinces.
Perez said these tremors are not related to each other since faults are not connected.
The Philippines is home to about 30 active fault systems and hundreds of local faults where earthquakes may develop.
Faults are fractures in the earth's crust where blocks of rock move relative to one another. It can be small and localized or hundreds of kilometers long, according to Perez.
Meanwhile, the recent earthquake injured five persons and damaged 260 houses in the province, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported.
OCD Eastern Visayas Regional Director Lord Byron Torrecarion said those injured are from the towns of San Francisco and Pintuyan.
At least seven houses were destroyed in the two towns, and 253 were partially damaged in San Francisco and nearby towns.
The tectonic quake struck 10.01 km. southeast of the municipality of San Francisco at 7:39 a.m. It was 14 km. deep.
Varying intensities were felt in many parts of Southern Leyte, Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar, Surigao del Norte, Cagayan de Oro, Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental, Cebu City, some parts of Capiz, and Mambajao in Camiguin.
Magnitude measures the energy released from the source of the quake, while intensity gives out the strength of shaking produced by the earthquake at a certain location.
