Mild quake felt in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines – Mild tremors shook parts of Cebu Province yesterday dawn.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the tremors were recorded at magnitude 3.5 at 1:05 a.m. and magnitude 2.1 at 1:51 a.m.

The epicenter of the magnitude 3.5 tremor was traced 44 kilometers northeast of Cebu City, while the epicenter of the second earth movement was located 11 kilometers northwest of Borbon, Cebu.

The tremors were tectonic in origin, according to PHIVOLCS Visayas Chief Geologist Robinson Giorgio.

The 3.5 magnitude quake was felt at intensity 2 in Cebu City.

The Phivolcs Earthquake Intensity Scale (PEIS) categorized Intensity 2 as “slightly felt” especially those indoors with hanging objects swinging and still water in containers moving as well.

The PEIS measures how an earthquake is felt in a certain area based on its relative effect to people, structures, and objects in the surroundings. It categorizes from intensities 1 to 10 based on the gravity of the effects.

Giorgio said the minor earthquakes were not related to the powerful magnitude 7.2 temblor that jolted Cebu and Bohol on October 15, 2013.

“These were caused by our local or existing faults,” he said.

Phivolcs identified in 2013 three probable fault lines in Cebu that may cause a series of earthquakes in the province. Two are situated opposite each other in southern Cebu while one is reportedly in central Cebu.

Central Cebu covers the Cebu metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Danao, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, and Talisay. It also spans the mountain areas near the boundary of Cebu City and Balamban town and Toledo City.

Meanwhile, the interior part of southern Cebu includes the towns of Boljoon, Oslob and Alcoy in the east coast and Ginatilan, Malabuyoc, and Alegria in the west coast.

As to yesterday’s tremors, Giorgio said there was no reported damage in the areas affected and no tsunami warning was issued as they were just considered minor.

“Nothing to worry because those were just small-scale quake,” he said. –/RHM (FREEMAN)