Philippine West Valley Fault Line Maps – Are You Safe?

Phivolcs warns Valley Fault residents

MANILA, Philippines – Residents of Metro Manila and nearby provinces should prepare for the “Big One,” a magnitude 7.2 earthquake to be generated by the West Valley Fault, which is ripe for movement.

Amid the devastation caused by the magnitude 6.7 earthquake in Surigao, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) yesterday appealed to residents of Metro Manila and nearby provinces to prepare for a powerful earthquake that could kill thousands.

“Everyone must learn from the recent effects of the magnitude 6.7 earthquake in Surigao del Norte. If a similar event happens in a highly urbanized area, the effects can be more devastating,” Phivolcs director Renato Solidum warned.

State seismologists have repeatedly warned the public that the West Valley Fault is ripe for movement.

The West Valley Fault, Solidum said, moves roughly every 400 years. The last major earthquake generated by this fault was in 1658 or 357 years ago.

The 100-kilometer fault traverses parts of Bulacan through Quezon City, Marikina, Makati, Pasig, Taguig and Muntinlupa in Metro Manila; San Pedro, Biñan, Sta. Rosa, Cabuyao and Calamba in Laguna; and Carmona, General Mariano Alvarez and Silang in Cavite. (source: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/02/14/1672066/prepare-big-one)