Shaky foundations

Here we are in a new year, at least according to the Roman Calendar, for other like the Chinese one the new year is still to come, as well as for the Hebrews and other. In anyway, now that the big fiesta has come and gone, we can come back and focus again into blogging.

After the series Jojo vs Earthquake in which I went deeper into the Earth to lay down the foundation of the Earthquake phenomenon, I will now come back to the surface of our planet, where we live, and begin to look into the Earthquakes itself, their impacts and consequences, and how we, humans, we can mitigate those consequences.

First things first, when it comes to earthquakes, what is the map of the main tectonic plates of the planet?

As you can see, this planet is quite a jigsaw puzzle, and we live on that jigsaw puzzle for the best or the worst.Some plates are huge compare to others, but they all move due to underground movement mainly in the Mantle. That movement makes those different plates collide with each other smoothly or brutally, it is that plate motion which leads to earthquakes.

The Philippines themselves are more specifically located in the West-Pacific Ocean Basin. Geographically the Philippines are situated on what is generally known as the Pacific Ring of Fire - the most seismically active region of the planet. 

Invisible to our eyes, the country is crossed by many faultlines, the focal point of earthquakes. The two biggest faultlines are the Trenches laying under the sea. One Trench is located on the West side of Luzon (Manila Trench), the other Trench is located on the East side of the Visayas and Mindanao (Philippine Trench). Smaller Trenches exist as well like the Cotabato Trench, Negros Trench and Sulu Trench (all located on the West of Mindanao under sea)

As a matter of fact, although the Philippines are seen as one country, geologically speaking it is a divided country - Luzon is part of the Philippines Plate, where the Visayas and Mindanao are part of the Eurasian Plate. It has real implication when you understand that being on two different plates, that also mean that they entirely depend on the motion of each of those plates. 

As far as we know the general motion of the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate is a move in opposite direction on a collision course. The Philippine Plate moves in a Westward direction, where the Eurasian Plate moves in a Eastward direction. This Tectonic collision is what is at the basis of the Earthquakes in the Philippines.

That Tectonic motion is unstoppable and unavoidable, we have to live with it. Filipinos, and all of those who, like me, choose to live here live really on shaky foundations indeed. But hey, is it not true that it is more fun in the Philippines?

Mabuhay!

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