Earthquake swarm offshore Surigao del Norte, Philippines

A series of earthquakes is currently being monitored offshore Surigao del Norte Province, PHIVOLCS reported April 30, 2019.

The sequence started with M5.5 earthquake at 05:45 UTC (13:26 PST) on April 25 and has continued to generate small- to moderate-size earthquakes.

AS of 21:00 UTC on April 29 (05:00 PST, April 30), the Philippine Seismic Network has recorded 728 events with magnitudes ranging between 1.5 and 5.5, clustering in the same area/vicinity.

These events are associated with the ongoing subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate along the Philippine Trench, PHIVOLCS said.

At this early stage, the current earthquake activity may indicate two scenarios: it may continue with its present activity and eventually wane in the next few days, or this may culminate to a larger earthquake.

Image credit: Google, TW/SAM

DOST-PHIVOLCS is continuously monitoring as earthquakes may continue to occur in the next several days.

People in the area should take preparedness measures, and be guided by verified information.

Surigao del Norte is a province in the Philippines located in the Caraga region of Mindanao. It comprises two major islands – Siargao and Bucas Grande – in the Philippine Sea, and a small region at the northeastern tip of Mindanao.

Featured image credit: Google, TW/SAM