A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the Philippines Friday.
The
U.S. Geological Survey recorded the quake. It was one of three major seismic shocks that struck in the Pacific Ring of Fire the same day, and occurred just weeks after a massive magnitude 7.8 quake struck in the same vicinity.
According to the USGS, the earthquake epicenter was just off the coast of Balut Island. The city of Sarangani on Balut Island—population 23,000—was hit hardest. The larger cities of Glan and General Santos, as well as Alabel and Maasin, felt strong vibrations. The quake petered out further north, at the cities of Malapatan, Polomolok, and Koronadal. Light vibrations were felt in the cities of Digos and Kidapawan.
The USGS issued a green alert, indicating a low likelihood of casualties and fatalities.
The Philippine quake was one of three major quakes that struck the Pacific Coast. The USGS also recorded a magnitude 5.7 quake off the Pacific coast of
Nicaragua. The epicenter was located 7 kilometers northeast of the town of Villa El Carmen and roughly 20 miles southwest of the city of Managua.
Another earthquake, this one a magnitude 5.6, struck 20 kilometers deep on the Pacific Coast of Japan. The
Japan Meteorological Agency traced the epicenter of the quake to Fuji Five Lakes near Mt. Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture. Seismic shocks of 6-minus intensity were felt in Fujikawaguchiko Town; 5-plus in Otsuki City; and 5-minus in multiple municipalities throughout Yamanashi Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Shizuoka Prefecture. Level 4 vibrations were felt as far as Tokyo, and the shockwaves spread throughout the southwest corner of the country; they extended as far northeast as Niigata Prefecture and as far northwest as Fukushima Prefecture.
The three quakes all occurred in the Pacific Ring of Fire, the colloquial name given to the seismic belt that loops around the Pacific Ocean from New Zealand up through East Asia, around the Bering Strait, down the west coast of North America, all the way down to Chile. According to the
National Geographic Society, the Ring of Fire is home to 90 percent of all earthquakes and 75 percent of all active volcanoes on Earth.
The Philippine quake was also the second major quake in the same region. On June 7, a massive
magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck 33 kilometers (20 miles) deep, about 32 kilometers off the island of Minandao, the second-most populous island in the Philippines. General Santos was hit hardest by the quake; it also triggered a landslide in Glan, killing 13.
The international airport in General Santos was temporarily shut due to the earthquake and 17 domestic flights were canceled because of the quake.
Waves of a meter or more were recorded in the provinces of Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani.
The quake was felt as far as Sabah state, Borneo, Malaysia.
In total, at least 35 people were killed, and more than 200 were injured.
