Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake off the coast of Zambales Province, The Philippines.

The United States Geological Survey recorded a Magnitude 5.5 Earthquake at a depth of 34.3 km roughly 37 km offshore of Zambales Province on southwestern Luzon Island, the Philippines, slightly after 5.45 pm local time (slightly after 9.45 am GMT) on Sunday 17 June 2018. There are no reports of any damage or injuries associated with this event, though it was felt across much of the southwestern part of Luzon. 

 

The approximate location of the 17 June 2018 Zambales Earthquake. USGS.

 

The geology of the Philippines is complex, with the majority of the islands located on the east of the Sunda Plate. To the east of this lies the Philippine Sea plate, which is being subducted beneath the Sunda Plate (a breakaway part of the Eurasian Plate); further east, in the Mariana Islands, the Pacific Plate is being subducted beneath the Philippine Sea Plate. This is not a smooth process, and the rocks of the tectonic plates frequently stick together before eventually being broken apart by the rising pressure, leading to Earthquakes in the process.

 

 Subduction beneath the Philippines. Yves Descatoire/Singapore Earth Observatory.

 

Witness accounts of Earthquakes can help geologists to understand these events, and the structures that cause them. The international non-profit organisation Earthquake Report is interested in hearing from people who may have felt this event; if you felt this quake then you can report it to Earthquake Report here.

 

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Navigobius kaguya: A new species of Dartfish from Japan and the Philippines.

Dartfish, Ptereleotrinae, are small Goby-like Perciform Fish closely related to Wormfish, and found exclusively in marine environments. Three members of the genus Navigobius have previously been described from Japan, Vietnam and Brunei Darussalam (Borneo), but specimens likely to belong to this genus have been observed in the aquarium trade with origins from as far west as the Maldives.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 13 November 2017, Anthony Gill of the Macleay Museum and School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Sydney and Ichthyology at the Australian Museum, Yi-Kai Tea of Newtown in New South Wales and Hiroshi Senou of the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History, describe a new species of Navigobius from waters off the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, and Luzon Island, the Philippines.

The new species is named Navigobius kaguya, in reference to the Moon Princess Kaguya from Japanese folklore, in reference to markings on the dorsal fins of the fish, which resemble Moon phase charts. The species is described from two female specimens, one caught at a depth of 42 m between Ie-jima Island and Okinawa-jima Islands, in the Ryukyu Archipelago, and one caught at a depth of 55-65 m, off the coast of Zambales Province on Luzon Island, the Philippines. These specimens are 52 and 49 mm long, respectively, and are an orangish or pinkish yellow-grey colour, lighter on the underside, with yellow, white and purple markings. 

 Navigobius kaguya, female, off coast of Ida, Zambales Province, Luzon, Philippines.
SK Tea in Gill et al. (2017).

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At least six dead following landslide on Luzon Island, the Philippines.

Six people have died and eight are still missing following a landslide that buried seven houses at Wawandue in the Subic Municipality of southern Zambales Province on Luzon Island, in the Philippines, roughly 90 km northeast of Manila, before 6.00 am local time on Monday 23 September 2013 (before 10.00 pm on Sunday 22 September GMT). It is believed that the missing people are still trapped inside their houses and that there is a realistic prospect of recovering at least some of them alive. A further six people are missing following a second landslide at San Idriso in the Subic Municipality, but the details of this second incident are not yet clear.

The approximate location of the 23 September 2013 Subic landslides. Google Maps.

The incident comes following heavy rains associated with Typhoon Odette that have brought extensive flooding to Luzon and the Visayas Islands over the weekend. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall. 

See also Man killed by rockfall on Luzon Island, the Philippines, Miner killed in landslide on Mindanao Island, the Philippines, At least one person dead as Typhoon Utor sweeps across Luzon Island, Two children killed by landslide in the Philippines and Three construction workers killed in Philippine landslip.

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