Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Rumored 6.8 magnitude earthquake to hit the Philippines

A text message I received earlier read as follows:

US Geological Society predicts a 6.8 magnitude earthquake will hit Philippine plates tonight. Please be calm and alert. This message is from Hawaii State Emergency Preparedness Office.....etc...etc...

Yep, there's nothing wrong with being prepared but receiving this text message has really made me nervous considering the latest damage in China...

I've tried my best to search the web to verify this but so far, i only stumbled upon the latest prediction of the PhilVolcs which is a 4.7 magnitude earthquake to happen supposedly at 5:48am in Isabela. The same may also be found at the USGS website, although the prediction was at 5.3 magnitude.

The text message might just be a hoax. But nevertheless, we have to be prepared. Let's just pray that we won't feel any tremors tonight.

9 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous4:07 PM

    got this same message on ym. tried to verify from sender no reply. hope this turns out to be a hoax.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous4:26 PM

    It's a HOAX ..

    http://nz.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080513232407AAhebIg
    Log in at USGS. Here's what you'll get.

    FAQ - Common Myths about Earthquakes
    Q: Can you predict earthquakes?

    A: No. Neither the USGS nor Caltech nor any other scientists have ever predicted a major earthquake. They do not know how, and they do not expect to know how any time in the foreseeable future. However based on scientific data, probabilities can be calculated for potential future earthquakes. For example, scientists estimate that over the next 30 years the probability of a major EQ occurring in the San Francisco Bay area is 67% and 60% in Southern California.

    The USGS focuses their efforts on the long-term mitigation of earthquake hazards by helping to improve the safety of structures, rather than by trying to accomplish short-term predictions.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous4:26 PM

    got same message to my ym, hope yeah this is hoax. im from isabela.i verified it from the sender you he gave me your post message (khakiness) but still we should prepare.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous4:40 PM

    It's definitely a hoax.Just google for "USGS earthquake predict hoax"
    http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/faq.php?categoryID=6&faqID=13

    FAQ - Common Myths about Earthquakes

    Q: Can you predict earthquakes?

    A: No. Neither the USGS nor Caltech nor any other scientists have ever predicted a major earthquake. They do not know how, and they do not expect to know how any time in the foreseeable future. However based on scientific data, probabilities can be calculated for potential future earthquakes. For example, scientists estimate that over the next 30 years the probability of a major EQ occurring in the San Francisco Bay area is 67% and 60% in Southern California.

    The USGS focuses their efforts on the long-term mitigation of earthquake hazards by helping to improve the safety of structures, rather than by trying to accomplish short-term predictions.

    For further information, see:
    Earthquake Prediction

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous6:14 PM

    No. It's not true because earthquakes cannot be predicted. However, there was a 5.3 earthquake today in Luzon.

    Pls. help spread this and stop the panic. Thanks.


    14 May 2008

    2:00 PM

    PHIVOLCS CLARIFICATION

    The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology would like to inform the general public that the text message currently circulating in the Philippines about a prediction by a certain “US Geological Society” of a “magnitude 6.8 earthquake to hit Philippine Plates tonight”, purportedly issued by the “Hawaii State Emergency Preparedness Office” IS A HOAX. This hoax started the day after the Magnitude 7.9 China earthquake of May 12, 2008.



    There is no organization currently capable of predicting an earthquake which is very specific in terms of magnitude and the date. There is no “US Geological Society”, only US Geological SURVEY but this agency does not issue immediate predictions especially for areas outside the United States of America. Past experiences show that rumors of a predicted strong earthquake are common after disastrous earthquakes in nearby countries.


    The Philippines can be affected by a major earthquake but as to when exactly this would happen cannot be predicted and what is important is we continue to practice earthquake preparedness and risk reduction measures.
    ---------

    USGS: Earthquakes can't be predicted


    INQUIRER.net
    First Posted 16:25:00 05/14/2008

    MANILA, Philippines--Earthquakes cannot be predicted, the US Geological Survey (USGS) has said as rumors swirled here that 6.8-magnitude quake would hit the Philippines Wednesday night.

    “Neither the USGS nor Caltech nor any other scientists have ever predicted a major earthquake. They do not know how, and they do not expect to know how any time in the foreseeable future,” the USGS said on its website.

    Text messages have been passed on supposedly from a "US Geological Society" predicting the strong quake.

    The US Geological Survey says it focuses its efforts on the long-term mitigation of earthquake hazards by helping to improve the safety of structures, rather than by trying to accomplish short-term predictions.

    “However based on scientific data, probabilities can be calculated for potential future earthquakes,” the USGS said.

    “For example, scientists estimate that over the next 30 years the probability of a major earthquake occurring in the San Francisco Bay area is 67 percent and 60 percent in Southern California,” it added.

    http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080514-136540/USGS-Earthquakes-cant-be-predicted
    http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/news/PHIVOLCS%20Clarification.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous6:15 PM

    http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/news/
    PHIVOLCS%20Clarification.html

    http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews
    /nation/view/20080514-136540/USGS-Earthquakes-cant-be-predicted

    ReplyDelete
  8. thanks so much for the informative comments... indeed, there was no earthquake last night... good thing. =)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous3:33 PM

    brinkka2011 says: Resources including the one you talked about here will be really helpful to me! I will publish a link to this web page on my weblog. I am certain my visitors will find that very helpful.

    ReplyDelete

Hi there! Thanks for reading this post.

I moderate my comments so please wait before it is approved. There is no point in typing your comment all over again if you don't see it after submitting. (--,)

For anonymous commenters, I'm sorry but I don't approve spam comments. If you want to drop links to your site, we are most willing to accommodate your request for a quote. Send us a message by using our contact form.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...