1994 Mindoro earthquake

1994 Mindoro earthquake

Date	November 14, 1994 at 19:15 UTC
Magnitude	7.1 Mw
Depth	33 km
Epicenter	13°32′N 121°05′E / 13.53°N 121.09°E / 13.53; 121.09
Type	Strike-slip [1]
Areas affected	Philippines
Tsunami	Yes
Casualties	78 killed

The 1994 Mindoro earthquake occurred on November 15 at 03:15 local time near Mindoro, the Philippines. It had a moment magnitude of 7.1. It is associated with a 35 kilometer-long ground rupture, called the Aglubang River fault.^[2] Seventy eight people were reported dead,^[3] and 7,566 houses were damaged. The earthquake generated a tsunami and landslides on the Verde Island.

Earthquake

The epicenter of this earthquake was located in the Verde Island Passage, a strait separating Luzon and Mindoro. The focal mechanism showed predominantly right-lateral strike-slip faulting.^[4] The released seismic moment was about 5.12×10¹⁹ Nm.^[5]

Surface faulting

The Aglubang River fault, which shows a right-lateral strike-slip sense of movement, extends from Malaylay Island in the north of Oriental Mindoro to Alcate, Victoria in the south. Measurements along the rupture reveal a maximum horizontal displacement of 4 meters and a maximum vertical displacement of 1.9 meters.^[2][6]

Tsunami

The earthquake generated a tsunami, which affected Mindoro, the Verde Island, the Baco Islands,^[7] and Luzon. Some concrete structures also suffered moderate damage in the tsunami. In Baco Islands, the vertical run-up reached 8.5 meters (28 ft). The tsunami was also recorded in Lobo.^[8] The tsunami was larger than expected considering the strike-slip movement of the earthquake.^[1]

References