Phivolcs allays tsunami fears from mag-7.2 Chile quake

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology allayed fears of a tsunami from a powerful quake that shook Chile early Monday morning (Manila time).

 

In a radio interview, Phivolcs head Renato Solidum Jr. said the quake, initially measured at magnitude 7.2, is not powerful enough to send waves to the Philippines.

 

"Sa aming pananaw walang pangamba na maidudulot itong lindol sa Chile dito sa ating bansa. At wala tayong tsunami warning o tsunami alert, walang maidudulot na pag-alon na darating sa atin," Solidum told dzBB radio.

 

While Phivolcs issued a tsunami alert early Monday, it was at "Alert Level 0," which means no evacuation.

 

The alert level said initial data showed the quake occurred at 6:37 a.m. Philippine time, with a depth of 10 km and a preliminary magnitude of 7.2.

 

"No destructive Pacific-wide threat exists based on the historical and tsunami data. However, earthquakes of  this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can bedestructive along coast located within 100 km of the epicenter," it said.

 

It added the Alert Level 0 is "for information purposes only and there is no tsunami threat to the Philippines from this earthquake."

 

Solidum also said that while the quake would have been destructive had it occurred on land, it occurred at sea and is likely to generate quakes of up to Intensity VI.

 

"Pag lupa ito, ito katumbas ng 32 Hiroshima bombs in energy kung sa lupain ... Ang epicenter sa dagat, hindi kalakasan ang naramdamang pagyanig," he said.

 

The United States Geological Survey had estimated the epicenter at:

 

— RSJ, GMA News