Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Impacts of a Moderate-Sized Earthquake: The 2023 Magnitude (Mw) 4.7 Leyte, Leyte Earthquake, Philippines

Jeffrey S. Perez
* ORCID logo ,
Deo Carlo E. Llamas
,
Daniel Jose L. Buhay
ORCID logo ,
Ryan Christian Constantino
,
Crystel Jade M. Legaspi
,
Kristine Dionne B. Lagunsad
,
Rhommel N. Grutas
,
Marc Marion Y. Quimson
Version 1 : Received: 20 February 2024 / Approved: 20 February 2024 / Online: 21 February 2024 (03:49:00 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Perez, J.S.; Llamas, D.C.E.; Buhay, D.J.L.; Constantino, R.C.C.; Legaspi, C.J.M.; Lagunsad, K.D.B.; Grutas, R.N.; Quimson, M.M.Y. Impacts of a Moderate-Sized Earthquake: The 2023 Magnitude (Mw) 4.7 Leyte, Leyte Earthquake, Philippines. Geosciences 2024, 14, 61. Perez, J.S.; Llamas, D.C.E.; Buhay, D.J.L.; Constantino, R.C.C.; Legaspi, C.J.M.; Lagunsad, K.D.B.; Grutas, R.N.; Quimson, M.M.Y. Impacts of a Moderate-Sized Earthquake: The 2023 Magnitude (Mw) 4.7 Leyte, Leyte Earthquake, Philippines. Geosciences 2024, 14, 61.

Abstract

At 12:28 UTC (8:28 PM, local time) on 15 January 2023, a shallow, moderate earthquake with a magnitude (Mw) of 4.7 and a depth of one (1) kilometer shook the northern part of Leyte Island in the central part of the Philippines. The ground shaking was felt at PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale (PEIS) VI, (very strong) equivalent to Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) VI in areas along the strike of the Leyte segment of the Philippine Fault. Even though this earthquake is classified as moderate in size, significant geologic, structural, and socio-economic impacts were documented. Most of the earthquake impacts that include surface rupture, liquefaction, and mass movements are limited near the epicentral area. The earthquake produced an 8-km-long surface rupture, the first documented rupture generated by a magnitude <6 along the Philippine Fault, and is unusual in other surface rupturing earthquakes worldwide. It injured 18 persons and damaged 434 residential buildings and 26 public infrastructures which amounts to about 500 thousand US dollars. Structural damages were caused by surface rupture and/or poor engineering construction practices. Analysis of the seismic waveform and recorded peak ground acceleration (PGA) suggests that the subsurface geology influenced the ground motion amplification in an area near the epicenter. Based on the hypocenter, focal mechanism solution, aftershock distribution, and actual field observation, the causative fault for this event is the northern end of the Philippine Fault – Leyte segment. Moderate in size, this earthquake emphasizes the need and importance of documenting moderate-sized earthquakes as a tool and guide for medium and long-term earthquake risk assessment and resiliency.

Keywords

Philippine fault – Leyte segment; PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale (PEIS); surface rupture; liquefaction, landslide, site amplification; disaster risk reduction

Subject

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Space and Planetary Science

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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