6.4-magnitude earthquake rattles southern Philippines

6.0Magnitude quake

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Cotabato province in southern Philippines on Tuesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

The institute said the inland tremor, which struck at 904 hrs local time, hit at a depth of 8 km, about 26 km northeast of Tulunan town.

The quake, which was tectonic in origin, will not cause damage and that aftershocks are expected, the institute said.

Cotabato and its neighboring provinces on Mindanao island is still recovering from the Oct 16 quake that rattled the region.

The Philippines has frequent seismic activity due to its location along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” registering quakes everyday, though most are not felt, reports Xinhua.

Phivolcs records an average of 20 earthquakes a day and 100 to 150 earthquakes are felt per year.

The USGS initially put the earthquake’s magnitude at 6.8 and at 15 km depth.