Magnitude 5.1 Earthquake Jolts Waters Off Balut Island in Davao Occidental

MANILA, Philippines — A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck the waters off Balut Island in Davao Occidental on Monday, July 20. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the tremor hit at 5:40 p.m. with a depth of 10 kilometers. It was traced 406 kilometers south 24 degrees east of Balut Island in Sarangani town in Davao Occidental. The Phivolcs recorded no intensity, but on Sunday, July 19, a magnitude 4.5 earthquake likewise struck the waters off the island, with seismologists recording Intensity II in the General Santos City, where an Instrumental Intensity III was also reported. READ: Magnitude 5.6 earthquake hits Balut Island in Sarangani Yesterday’s earthquake was logged as an aftershock of the magnitude 7.8 offshore Sarangani and magnitude 6.5 offshore Davao Occidental earthquakes in June. Last Saturday, July 18, the island was also hit by a magnitude 5.6 earthquake. /jpv