NO MAJOR damage was expected or immediately reported from a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck off the western side of Luzon, the Philippine’s northern mainland, at 5:05 a.m. on March 14, according to state seismologists.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded the offshore tremor at 110 kilometers west of Lubang in Occidental Mindoro province with a depth of 28 kilometers.
More than 60 aftershocks were recorded as of early Monday afternoon, with the strongest at magnitude 4.8 at 1:35 p.m.
Lubang recorded an intensity 4 tremor while intensity 3 was felt in several provinces and cities in mainland Luzon, including Cavite, Batangas, Bulacan, Quezon City, Taguig City, Mandaluyong City, Makati City, Navotas City, and Pasig City.
Under the Phivolcs intensity scale, 4 is considered “moderately strong” and generally felt by people indoors while 3 is described as “weak” but still felt indoors, especially in upper floors of buildings.
The Philippines is one of the countries located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area where most of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. — MSJ