Phivolcs Releases Bulletin about the Earthquake in Davao Occidental, May 2, 2025
EARTHQUAKE – The Phivolcs recorded a 4.9 magnitude quake in Davao Occidental today, April 30, 2025. Here are the details.
Following the 4.5 magnitude quake in Batanes late last night, another significant quake was recently recorded by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) in another province. According to the agency, the quake recently hit Davao Occidental and it has a magnitude of 4.9.
The earthquake that struck Davao Occidental, May 2, 2025, was tectonic in origin. A tectonic quake is a shaking which is a product when the Earth’s crust breaks because of the geological forces on the rocks and the adjoining plates which result to chemical and physical changes.
According to Phivolcs, the earthquake that hit a part of Davao Occidental was located at 05.08°North, 126.08°East – 081 km South 57° East of Sarangani Island in the Municipality of Sarangani. It had a depth of focus of 097 kilometers.
Phivolcs stated in its bulletin that damages are not expected from the said quake as well as aftershocks. According to the quake-recording agency, no instrumental intensities were recorded at the epicenter of the quake as well as the nearby areas. The following instrumental intensities were recorded in these areas:
Intensity I
- Maasim, SARANGANI
- Matanao, DAVAO DEL SUR
- T’Boli, SOUTH COTABATO
Intensity II
- Glan and Kiamba, SARANGANI
Intensity III
- Malungon, SARANGANI
Earthquakes can hardly be predicted accurately as most experts in the field agree on. Thus, most countries really make sure that they have a bureau or an organization that monitors a quake incident across their nation.
Quakes can happen in land and underwater. In the case of the latter, it can trigger tsunami thus quake-recording agencies are also often the one that monitors tsunami threats. They are the bodies releasing advisories whenever there are threats of tsunami following a strong quake shaking the land in the coastal area or underwater.
On land, quakes can result to damages and loss of lives thus it is important to be aware of the earthquake safety tips to reduce the risk of damages and loss of lives by knowing what to do.