There are currently many talks about big earthquakes in the Philippines, especially after a 7.0 quake hit Haiti and killed hundreds of thousands of people.
A primary concern to most is the Philippine Fault Zone or the Marikina Valley Fault Line, which supposedly traverses through major parts of Metro Manila, including Marikina, Quezon City, Pasig and Taguig.
Where exactly does the Marikina Fault Line pass through?
The maps below from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and GMANews.tv show us.
What is the Valley Fault System?
The Valley Fault System, also known as the Marikina Valley Fault System, is a group of dextral strike-slip fault which extends from San Mateo, Rizal to Taguig City on the south; running through the cities of Makati, Marikina, Paranaque, Pasig and Taguig. The fault possesses a threat of a large scale earthquake with a magnitude of 7 or higher within the Metro Manila area with death toll predicted to be as high as 35,000 and injuries of around 120,000, with more than three million people needed to be evacuated.
The fault contains two segments, known as West Valley Fault and East Valley Fault both located in the city of Marikina.
The west segment, known as the Western Marikina Fault was one of the two fault segments of the Valley Fault System which runs through the cities of Marikina, Pasig and Muntinlupa and moves in a dominantly dextral strike-slip motion. The West Fault is capable of producing large scale earthquakes on its active phases with a magnitude of 7 or higher.
The eastern segment, known as Eastern Marikina Fault moves in an oblique dextral motion.
See also: Big earthquake in Marikina Valley fault line?
Tags: earthquake Philippines, Philippine fault lines, Metro Manila fault line, Marikine Valley fault zone, 7.2 earthquake, June 1991, July 1990 Baguio earthquake, safety precaution tips
