16 aftershocks hit Marinduque

MANILA, Philippines - Sixteen aftershocks rocked Marinduque following the magnitude 4.5 earthquake that hit Boac town early Saturday night.

As of 1 p.m. yesterday, a total of 16 aftershocks were recorded. An aftershock measuring magnitude 4.2 hit Boac at 2:46 a.m. yesterday, with its epicenter traced some 30 kilometers northwest of the town.

It was felt at Intensity 3 in Boac and Batangas City, and Intensity 2 in Alabang, Muntinlupa. 

Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said the quakes that struck Marinduque were called “earthquake swarms.” 

“These are part of an earthquake swarm occurring at the eastern end of Lubang fault,” Solidum told The STAR.

Solidum said earthquake swarms are common. “In most cases, many of the quakes are non-destructive,” he said.

“But we don’t discount the possibility of stronger ones that can be larger,” he added.