Gov’t monitoring ‘earthquake swarm’ in North Luzon – BusinessWorld Online
BAGUIO CITY — The recent earthquake swarm over the borders of Isabela, Ifugao, and Mountain Province is closely being monitored.
The Department of Science and Technology (DoST) and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) have deployed a Quick Response Team (QRT) composed of technical personnel from the Callao and Palayan Seismic Stations, along with staff from Phivolcs Main Office to conduct scientific monitoring.
At least 416 tremors have occurred since June 1, 10:08 p.m., near the boundaries of Isabela, Ifugao and Mountain Province.
The team installed portable seismic stations in strategic locations to augment the existing DoST-Phivolcs earthquake monitoring network.
The additional stations help improve the accuracy of data on the location, magnitude, and characteristics of the earthquake swarm, Phivolcs added. “This data is crucial for scientific analysis and for informing communities about the nature and potential impacts of the ongoing earthquake swarm.”
The DoST-Phivolcs is also working closely with local government units (LGUs) and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices (DRRMOs) by conducting briefings and discussions to strengthen local preparedness and ensure timely, accurate dissemination of information.
An “earthquake swarm” involves successive tremors occurring in a short period because of active fault movements, according to Phivolcs.
Phivolcs also said at least 135 among the 416 jolts were plotted from 1.2-3.6 magnitude and had a depth of up to 39 kilometers.
The DoST-Phivolcs QRT has also distributed information materials and conducted awareness campaigns about earthquake safety and risk reduction. — Artemio A. Dumlao
