Phivolcs launches 100th strong motion station to measure major quakes

Jasmin Romero, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/news/02/23/20191216-phivolcs-dr-solidum-jc-5147.jpg"/><figcaption>Department of Science and Technology (DOST) DRR/CCA Undersecretary and Phivolcs Officer-in-Charge Renato Solidum talks to authorities on the ground in Davao del Sur on Dec. 16, 2019 while at the PHIVOLCS headquarters in Quezon City as he monitors developments on the earthquake that hit the area. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Tuesday launched its 100th strong motion station in Tanay, Rizal in a bid to expand the country’s earthquake monitoring network. </p><p>The latest strong motion station is part of the Philippine Strong Motion Network (PSMNet), one of the country’s key earthquake monitoring systems.</p><p>During the station’s inauguration, Phivolcs Officer-In-Charge Renato Solidum explained the site could provide critical earthquake information that would aid in urban zoning and in building earthquake-resilient structures.</p><p>“The network is equipped with strong motion accelerographs located in densely populated areas and near faults so that we can faithfully record very large ground motions during high magnitude earthquake events,” said Solidum. </p><p>The official pointed out that the strong motion station benefits both the local government units and the agency, noting that the equipment in Tanay could measure data within its 300-km radius, including Metro Manila, Bicol Region and Central Luzon.</p><p>&quot;Ito po ay kailangan para makadisenyo ng tamang building, ng tamang mga gusali at infrastructure in your area (this is needed to design the right buildings, structures in your area) so that they will become more earthquake resistant,&quot; he said. </p><p>&quot;In the case of Phivolcs, this is very important for us because it will provide critical information to determine how the earthquake fault ruptures progress,” he added. </p><div><strong> RELATED STORIES: </strong></div><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/05/02/19/should-you-be-afraid-of-the-big-one">How strong an earthquake will the &quot;Big One&quot; be? You need to sit down for the answer</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/10/18/duterte-creates-earthquake-resiliency-office-for-greater-metro-manila-area">Duterte creates earthquake resiliency office for greater Metro Manila area</a></li></ul><p>He added that the site could help the agency understand how earthquake waves were propagated from a fault to other areas, as well as its effect to buildings and the ground “especially if the soil is soft.”</p><p>The equipment will also be essential in determining other things; it can identify whether certain structures follow building codes and it can provide records essential in early earthquake warnings.</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F7wpQx3bYX4?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>The 100th strong motion station costs around P1.2 million. Phivolcs is aiming to build 1,000 strong motion sites in the next several years, according to Solidum. </p><p>&quot;As we put more stations, we are looking into the feasibility of developing early earthquake monitoring system. ‘Di po pine-predict ang earthquake, but if you have stations detecting an earthquake somewhere, and since earthquake waves will still travel, baka with time &#x27;pag maayos na ang network puwede nang mabigyan ng warning ang mga lugar na di pa dumadating pa ang earthquake wave,” he said. </p><p>(We cannot predict earthquakes, but if you have stations detecting an earthquake somewhere, and since earthquake waves will still travel, maybe when we have already fixed the network, we could warn beforehand the places where the earthquake waves haven’t struck yet.) </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/24/19/recent-quakes-not-prelude-to-big-one-in-metro-manila-phivolcs-chief">Recent quakes not prelude to ‘Big One’ in Metro Manila: Phivolcs chief</a></li></ul><p>The first 4 strong motion stations were built in 1992, and more were created over time. In 2020, the country had a total of 99 stations, where additional sites were built in the Ilocos Region and Central Luzon.</p><p>The Philippines is on the geologically active Pacific Ring of Fire and experiences frequent earthquakes, particularly in the south.<br/> </p>

<p>MANILA - The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Tuesday launched its 100th strong motion station in Tanay, Rizal in a bid to expand the country’s earthquake monitoring network. </p>

MANILA - The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Tuesday launched its 100th strong motion station in Tanay, Rizal in a bid to expand the country’s earthquake monitoring network.

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Phivolcs launches 100th strong motion station to measure major quakes

Phivolcs launches 100th strong motion station to measure major quakes

Jasmin Romero,

ABS-CBN News

Published Feb 23, 2021 03:21 PM PHT

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