By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Management Program Division (PDMPD) head Zeaphard Caelian yesterday denied that there is a connection between the recent earthquake swarm in the province’s Sipalay City and volcanic activity of the Mt. Kanlaon.
According to Caelian, all of the earthquakes experienced recently in Sipalay were tectonic in origin and have no relation to the independent volcanic ground shaking of the Kanlaon volcano.
Based on the latest monitoring released by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) related to Kanlaon’s volcanic activity yesterday morning, the volcano is currently under Alert Level 1 with nine volcanic earthquakes recorded between 8:00 a.m. of November 2 to 8:00 a.m. of November 3.
The volcanic observatory in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental also noted moderate steam-laden plume rising 200 meters from the crater and drifting northwest, while ground deformation still shows that Kanlaon’s edifice is still inflated.
It further added that movement inside the volcano’s four kilometer permanent danger zone is currently prohibited.
Caelian reiterated that the quakes in the southern part of the province are related to the Negros Trench which is located off the coast of Sipalay City and the town of Hinoba-an.
He added the movement of the Negros Trench is causing the ground to shake in the city.
Earlier on Tuesday noon, parts of Western Visayas were jolted by a magnitude 4.1 earthquake epicentered 18 kilometers northeast of Sipalay City.
Intensity V was felt in Sipalay City and Cauayan City and Intensity IV in Hinoba-an town.
Intensity III was also recorded in Iloilo City; Jordan, Guimaras; Bayawan City, Negros Oriental; and Bago City, Negros Occidental; and Intensity II in La Carlota City and Bacolod City.
No aftershocks or damages are expected from the tremor.
Last month, the area also experienced 30 earthquake swarms with the strongest recorded at magnitude at 4.6.
An earthquake swarm is a burst of earthquake activity clustered in a specific area in a short period of time due to the movement of a fault./DGB, WDJ