34 aftershocks recorded after magnitude 5.4 quake

Government seismologists yesterday recorded 34 aftershocks following a magnitude 5.4 quake that rocked parts of Luzon late Tuesday night, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

Phivolcs director Renato Solidum, however, allayed fears of an impending major quake.

The aftershocks were recorded at Intensity 3 in Dinapigue, Isabela at 10:24 p.m., 10:31 p.m. and 11:29 p.m. Tuesday, and at 12:38 a.m. and 5:48 a.m. yesterday.

The tremor was also felt at Intensity 2 in Baguio City and in Urdaneta, Pangasinan at 5:48 a.m. yesterday.

The aftershocks were generated by a magnitude 5.4 quake that struck 88 kilometers southeast of Cauayan, Isabela at 10:14 p.m. Tuesday.

An aftershock is a small earthquake, usually one of several, that follows a larger one after a period of time.

The tremor was initially felt at Intensity 5 in Dinapigue, Isabela; Intensity 4 in Palanan and Makonakon, Isabela and Baler, Aurora; Intensity 2 in Baguio City; and Intensity 1 in Manila.

Solidum said the quake was not powerful enough to cause damage, adding that it is not related to the powerful 7.9 magnitude quake that hit China last Monday that left thousands dead.

The Philippines lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where colliding plates in the Earth’s crust cause frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Solidum said about 20 quakes hit the country every day but only a few are felt.

Ninety damaging earthquakes were recorded in the country in the past 400 years, he said.

The last major earthquake to hit the Philippines was on July 16, 1990, when a quake of 7.7 magnitude hit Baguio City, killing and injuring an estimated 1,000 people, Solidum said.   – Helen Flores