Magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes Philippines’ Mindanao:No tsunami warning issued; 5.3 earthquake strikes Pakistan

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The earthquake occurred at a depth of 29 kilometres beneath the surface, shaking several parts of the island but causing no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage. Meanwhile, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck Pakistan on Friday, according to National Center of Seismology. The USGS said the tremor struck beneath Mindanao, one of the Philippines’ largest islands, prompting authorities to begin damage assessments across affected areas. No tsunami warning was issued following the earthquake. Local officials said emergency teams were monitoring the situation, while disaster response agencies continued to assess the impact of the quake on infrastructure and communities near the epicentre. Second powerful earthquake to hit Mindanao this month The latest earthquake comes just weeks after a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of southern Philippines in early June, causing widespread destruction across Mindanao. The powerful tremor killed more than 80 people and injured over 1,300 others, according to the latest official figures. It also triggered tsunami warnings across the region, forced large-scale evacuations from coastal communities and disrupted electricity and communication services in several provinces. Rescue teams worked for several days following the disaster, searching for survivors trapped beneath collapsed buildings while engineers assessed damage to roads, bridges and public infrastructure. According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), the June earthquake struck at a shallow depth of about 10 kilometres, which significantly intensified ground shaking. The agency initially revised the magnitude before confirming it at 7.8. The June earthquake also caused a rare geological phenomenon known as coastal uplift, with parts of the seabed rising by nearly two metres. Previously submerged coral reefs emerged above sea level, and sections of the coastline reportedly extended by as much as 200 metres. A series of strong aftershocks followed the June earthquake, including another magnitude-6.5 tremor that further rattled the region. Philippines lies on Pacific Ring of Fire The Philippines is among the world’s most disaster-prone countries due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast belt of intense seismic and volcanic activity stretching around the Pacific Ocean. Earthquakes occur almost daily across the archipelago as several major tectonic plates converge beneath the country. Southern Mindanao, in particular, is vulnerable to frequent seismic activity because of the nearby Cotabato Trench, where thousands of earthquakes, most of them minor, have been recorded in recent months.
What are earthquakes? Why do they occur? An earthquake is the sudden shaking of the Earth’s surface caused by the release of energy from within the Earth. This energy release happens due to movements along fault lines, which are fractures in the Earth’s crust. The Earth’s outer shell, called the lithosphere, is divided into large pieces known as tectonic plates that float on the semi-fluid mantle. These plates constantly move, and when they collide, slide past, or pull away from each other, stress builds up. When this stress exceeds the strength of rocks, it is released as an earthquake. The energy from an earthquake travels in the form of seismic waves, which spread out from the epicentre and cause the ground to shake. The science behind earthquakes The surface of our Earth is mainly made up of 7 large and several small tectonic plates. These plates continuously float and sometimes collide with each other. Sometimes the edges of the plates bend due to collision, and when more pressure is applied, these plates start breaking. In such a situation, the energy released from below finds a way out, and after this disturbance, an earthquake occurs. ​