The Philippine islands were formed in evolutionary processes involving subductions, collisions, and strike-slip faulting. Earthquakes are frequent there as a result of collision processes between the Philippine Sea Plate (PSP) and the Sunda Plate (SP). The slip convergence between PSP and the SP boundary is obliquely accommodated by the Philippine fault system, which is a major left-lateral strike-slip fault system. The Philippine fault has been slipping at a rate of 33 ± 11 mm/yr in the northern and central Leyte sections. The southern part of the Philippine fault is mainly located in eastern Mindanao and constitutes a complex fault system with discrete strands and splays. Mindanao island is located on the complex collision boundary between the SP and the PSP. Some parts of the convergence between these plates are consumed by the Philippine fault and subduction at the Cotabato trench. Some other parts of the convergence are accommodated by the fault system in Mindanao, and a series of strike-slip faults have developed.
The earthquake occurred in a region within a faulting zone known as the Cotabato fault system, which is a seismically active region due to the presence of several active faults, including the NW-SE trending Makilala-Malungon, M'lang, North and South Columbio and Tangbulan faults, and the SW-NE trending Makilala and Balabag faults. These faults may work with subduction zones to accommodate different components of regional tectonic strain in the slip partitioning system caused by the relative motion between the PSP and SP. Characterizing the geometrical complexity of these source faults has great significance for understanding the seismotectonic implications of the large earthquakes occurring in Mindanao.[4]
Damage and casualties
The place where the most damage was reported was in the small town of Makilala, Cotabato, in which more than 100 homes were damaged. One person died from cardiac arrest, and three others suffered injuries.[2] There was also damage in Kidapawan City. Many infrastructures and homes were partially damaged in Kidapawan. Damage was also observed in Davao del Sur (Magsaysay, Matanao, Bansalan, and Digos). Tulunan, M'lang, Antipas, and Matalam in Cotabato, where another 70 persons were injured in an aftershock.[3]Central Mindanao was most affected in the earthquake.[3]