4.9 quake rattles General Santos City

ZAMBOANGA CITY - 4.9 magnitude earthquake jolted General Santos City on Sunday, but authorities reported no injuries or damage to structure. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the tremor was traced 341 kilometers south east of General Santos City. It was also felt in other parts of Mindanao, including the cities of Davao and Cotabato. "An earthquake with magnitude 4.9 occurred near General Santos, Mindanao, Philippines at 00:47:37.30 UTC (8:47 a.m. Manila time)," it said. The areas have been struck by tremors since November last year and many local residents feared a tsunami would hit soon their areas. On Saturday, small tsunami waves hit northern and eastern Japan after a powerful earthquake in the northern Pacific Ocean. USGS said the quake magnitude was recorded at 8.2 in the Richter scale and was located in the northern Pacific, 525 km east northeast of Kurilsk, Kurile Islands, and 1,710 km northeast of Tokyo. Tsunami warnings were also raised in the Philippines, Russia and as far as Alaska, including Guam and Taiwan. A 40-cm (16-inch) wave was reported at Chichijima in the Ogasawara islands, some 1,200 km south of Tokyo, and several smaller waves on Hokkaido and northern Japan, but there were no reports of injuries and no immediate reports of damage. Seismologists said the Philippines lies in the “Pacific Ring of Fire," where tremors, some caused by volcanic activity, are common. In March last year, fears of undersea volcanic eruptions and threats of deadly tsunamis have triggered an exodus of people in many coastal towns in Surigao del Norte. The scare was triggered by cell phone text messages about an impending volcanic eruptions and tsunamis and forced many people to flee their homes. Tsunami is series of catastrophic ocean waves generated by submarine movements, which may be caused by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or undersea landslides. Tsunamis usually occur in the Pacific Ocean following earthquakes over magnitude 6.5 on the Richter scale. On August 16, 1976, a tsunami generated by a quake in Mindanao killed more than 10,000 people in the coastal communities in the Sulu archipelago, Zamboanga Peninsula, Lanao provinces, North Cotabato, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat provinces. - GMANews.TV