Lesson 3: Active Fault Lines in the Philippines

Earthquakes in the Philippines

Active Fault Lines in the Philippines

&

Tropical Cyclones

What to do before and during earthquakes

During:

Before:

• Check the stability of hanging objects.
• Breakable or harmful objects should be stored properly.
• Familiarize yourself with the exit routes.
• Know where the fire extinguishers, first aid kits and phones are located.
• Prepare an emergency kit.
• Conduct and participate in regular earthquake drills.

• Stay calm.
• When you are inside a building stay there.
• If possible, quickly open the door for exit.
• Duck under a sturdy table, to protect your head.
• Stay away from glass windows and heavy objects.
• Be alert and be aware of falling objects.
• If outside, move to an open area.
• Stay away from trees or concrete structures.
• Move away from steep slopes.
• If you are in the shore move to a higher ground.
• If you are in a moving vehicle STOP and get out.

Damages Caused by Earthquakes

Earthquake and Tsunami Formation

• Tsunami in English is equivalent to “Seismic Se waves”
• When two oceanic plates meet and collide with another, energy is stored between them.

The Marikina Fault Line

- PHILVOCS said that it is the most active fault line in the Philippines.It has not moved for 500 yrs. To produce high intensity earthquake.Located at east of Metro Manila.It was renamed to West Valley fault by the director of PHILVOCS Raymundo Punong Bayan.Seismologists said that if this fault moved it can make the Taal Volcano Erupt.

The Central Philippines Fault Zone

- It is a transition zone with slow slip and creep activity.This is found to be the site and sources of fault creep activity,slow slip event and great archipelago.According to the Studies of Willis and Allen,the PFZ is comparable to San Andreas Fault in California.During the year 1990, the earthquake that destroyed Central Luzon and Baguio was due to the movement of Central Philippine Fault.

List of earthquakes that has a magnitude above 5 in the Ritcher scale.

-Palimbang(Mindanao) [6.8]

-Masbate [6.2]

-Samar [6.5]

-Mindoro [6.5]

-Moro Gulf [6.6]

[7.6]

Magnitudes & Intensities of Earthquakes

• Seismograph - device that measures the strength of an earthquake.

Active Faults

The Ritcher Scale

It is the best known logarithmic scale

used in measuring the magnitude of earthquakes.

The Mercalli Scale

Affected Areas:

Expresses the intensity ofa n earthquake as felt in a given location or region in values ranging from I to XII.

Affected Areas:

• Moro Gulf
• Celebes Sea

• Entire Ilocos Norte
• Aurora
• Quezon
• Masbate
• Eastern Leyte
• Southern Leyte
• Agusan Del Norte
• Agusan Del Sur
• Davao Del Norte

• Central Philippine Fault
• Marikina Valley Fault/West Valley Fault Line
• Western Philippine Fault
• Eastern Philippine Fault
• Southern of Mindanao Fault

Affected Areas:

Tropopause

• Philippine Sea

• Montalban
• SanMateo
• Marikina
• Pasig
• taguig
• Muntinlupa
• San Pedro
• Binan
• Carmona
• Santa Rosa
• Calamba
• Tagaytay
• Oriental Mindoro

The boundary between the troposphere and the stratosphere.

Affected Areas:

Jet Steamy

• Luzon Sea
• Mindoro Strait
• Panay Gulf
• Sulu Sea

beaneath the tropopause is the "river of air", that zooms along at the speed of 400 km/hr

Typhoon

related with the Mandarin word,Tai Feng, which means 'great or big wind'.The majority of tropical cyclone formation forms between June and November and is at a minimum between December and May.

Active Fault Lines

in the Philippines

Where do tropical cyclones originate

Troposphere- lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere. It is where the weather phenomena is primarily involved.

One source of tropical cyclone formation is the Intertropical Convergence Zone located around the equator.

Tropical Cyclones

-is a storm system characterized by counter clockwise rotating air mass around a central part called core that has a low pressure.The central part of the typhoon could be big as 370 km. Because of the low pressure core, wind flows inward, creating an updraft of rising air, that upon cooling produces high winds and forms heavy rains. Tropical Cyclone is called typhoon or hurricane, depending on what region the storm occurs.