Thursday, December 25, 2008

Strong Quake Hits Southern Philippines

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 25, 2008) - An earthquake measuring 6.2 in the Richter Scale shook the southern Philippines on Thursday, but there were no reports of casualties or injuries.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at 11:20 a.m. local time (10:20 p.m. ET) at about 55 kilometers (35 miles) southeast of General Santos at a depth of 207 kilometers (129 miles). It was also felt in other areas nearby.

"It was strong. My chair was shaking and I thought I was going to fall from where I sit," said Geonarri Solmerano, the Mindanao Examiner photojournalist in Kidapawan City.

The Philippines is located in the so-called "Ring of Fire," an area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions encircling the basin of the Pacific Ocean.

In a 40,000 km horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and plate movements.

The Ring of Fire has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes. It is sometimes called the circum-Pacific belt or the circum-Pacific seismic belt. (Mindanao Examiner)

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