Successive Strong Earthquakes Hit Batangas Again

Image credit:  Phivolcs.

Still reeling from a magnitude 5.6 earthquake which hit just off the island municipality of Tingloy on the 4^th of April, Batangas got hit again by a swarm of earthquakes again earlier this afternoon, the 8^th of the month.

The first earthquake hit at 3:07 pm, with the United States Geological Survey placing the epicenter at 13.721°N 120.888°E in a barangay called Bagalangit in Mabini, Batangas. USGS placed the earthquake at magnitude 5.5, almost as powerful as the 4 April tremor.

The first earthquake with magnitude 5.6 (Phivolcs) hit at 3:07 pm. Image credit:  Google Earth.

Phivolcs, whose web site was unreachable at the time, subsequently placed the earthquake’s strength at magnitude 5.6 or the same as the 4 April tremor. The local agency placed the epicenter as one kilometer southwest of Mabini. Phivolcs has also enumerated the following intensity levels: Intensity 7 – Mabini; Intensity 6 – Calatagan, Nasugbu, Tingloy; and Intensity V – Batangas City.

Just two minutes later, a stronger earthquake occurred. USGS placed its epicenter 13.725°N 120.929°E in a place called Talaga, also in Mabini; with magnitude 5.9. This quake was felt with the same intensity in the localities mentioned in the previous paragraph.

The second earthquake hit just two minutes later at 3:09 pm. Image credit:  Google Earth.

Phivolcs later placed the second earthquake’s epicenter at 12 kilometers northwest of Mabini with the strength of magnitude 6.

USGS also reported a magnitude 5.0 earthquake with the epicenter at 13.800°N 121.181°E in the vicinity of the municipality of Taysan. Phivolcs has not reported this tremor as of this writing.

USGS reported a third earthquake at 3:29 near the town of Taysan. Image credit: Google Earth.

Finally, the USGS reported a magnitude 4.7 quake with epicenter at 13.678°N 121.040°E and calls the locality Wawa just off Batangas City. Phivolcs similarly reports this quake at magnitude 4.7 but with epicenter at 15 kilometers northwest of Mabini. There are still no intensity reports as of this writing.

A fourth earthquake was reported by USGS just off Batangas City.  Image credit:  Google Earth

Notes and references:
¹ United States Geological Survey
² Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology

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