As lots of major earthquakes struck the country this year, the keyword “earthquake today” landed on Google Philippines’ top trending searches for news.
The keyword reached third place in the category, topping news-related searches such as “lotto results today,” “SOGIE Bill” and “SONA 2019,” among others.
“Earthquake today” reached its peak in the search engine from April 21-27, the week a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila.
It was also the same week that some parts of Visayas experienced a magnitude 6.4 earthquake.
The keyword also gained traction from October 27 to November 2, the same week Mindanao suffered from three major tremors.
Related topics that popped up on the platform include searches on Samar and Davao Region earthquakes.
Posted by Google on Thursday, December 12, 2019
Luzon earthquake
On the afternoon of April 22, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake jolted Central Luzon with an epicenter recorded at Castillejos, Zambales.
Several provinces and cities in Metro Manila felt different intensities ranging from Intensity 5 to 3.
Pampanga was one of the provinces that sustained the most damage to infrastructure, particularly the municipality of Porac.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported that more than 400 aftershocks were recorded the day after the earthquake occurred.
Visayas earthquake
Some parts of Visayas on April 23 experienced a magnitude 6.5 earthquake with a recorded epicenter in San Julian, Eastern Samar.
Areas that had recorded intensities include Leyte, Samar, Surigao Del Sur, Iloilo City, Negros Occidental and Cebu City, among others.
While the earthquake happened a day after a major tremor struck Luzon, an official from the Phivolcs said that it is “not related” as the Visayas quake was generated by a movement in the Philippine Trench.
Mindanao earthquakes
The southern island of the Philippines experienced four major earthquakes, including the strongest one that was recorded on December 15.
On October 16, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck Cotabato with an epicenter located southeast of Tulunan town.
Areas affected include Kidapawan, Digos and Tacurong City.
By October 29, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Cotabato once more with an epicenter located off Tulunan town.
It affected Kidapawan, General Santos City and Cagayan de Oro City, among others.
Another tremor struck the southern island when a magnitude 6.5 earthquake was recorded with an epicenter at Tulunan anew.
Affected areas include Sultan Kudarat, General Santos City and Digos.
On December 15, the strongest earthquake struck the island with a 6.9 magnitude. Its epicenter was recorded northwest of Matanao, Davao del Sur.
Affected areas include Padada, General Santos City and Cotabato.
The southern island continues to experience several aftershocks from the tremor as of this writing.
