PHILIPPINES: 1976 Moro Gulf Earthquake shocked hundreds

Philippines has been noted to be a country with bounty treasures—overwhelming

seas, mouth-watering fruits and extravagant views that no one can’t resist. Amidst this great
solace comes darkness and sorrows that somehow killed hundreds of people thus destroyed
their homes, livelihood and important structures. The country straddles the western fringes
of the Pacific Ring of Fire where strongest earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur
(Malonzo, 2015). Furthermore, Conde (2006) noted that the country is situated in the heart
of the typhoon belt which is usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms
each year.

The Philippines is struck by large earthquake with some regularity, however, by some
deadlock deadliest earthquakes were recorded that destroyed a lot of structures and
livelihood as well. Moro Gulf Earthquake and Tsunami of August 1976 was one of the
recorded deadliest earthquake that struck the country.

On August 16, 1976, a devastating earthquake on the Cotabato Trench caused

destruction on the island of Mindanao – the southernmost and largest of the Philippine
Islands. The destructive tsunami that was generated in the Gulf of Moro and in the Celebes
Sea killed about 8,000 people in coastal communities in North and South Zamboanga, North
and South Lanao, North Cotabato, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat (Mindanao), and in the
neighboring Sulu Islands. It was said to be the largest to have occurred world-wide in recent
years (Mw=8.8; Ms=7.8; seismic moment, Mo= 1.9 × 1028dyne-cm).

The earthquake occurred at 16:10 UTC of August 16, 1976 (local date August 17,
1976). The epicenter was in the Celebes Sea between the islands of Mindanao and Borneo.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center's preliminary magnitude was given as 8.0 on the
Richter scale and as 7.9 by other sources. There were many aftershocks following the main
earthquake. A major aftershock on August 17 (local date) had a magnitude of 6.8. It was
proceeded by at least fifteen smaller aftershocks. Moreover, Acharya (1978) stated that the
said earthquake occurred in an area of high seismicity and poorly understood tectonics.

Bathymetric data indicate the presence of a trench striking north-south in the region
of the Moro Gulf, and seismic reflection profiling indicates disturbed sediments east of the
trench showing evidence for subduction. In addition, the geological structures mapped on
the island of Mindanao are consistent with this mode of deformation. The 1976 August 16
Philippine earthquake thus represents the first clear seismic evidence for a north-east
dipping subduction zone beneath Mindanao in the Moro-Gulf, North Celebes Sea.

The said phenomena greatly affect hundreds of people, thus the occurrence of a
destructive tsunami two minutes after the earthquake contributed to the loss of hundreds of
lives and destructions of livestock, livelihoods, and even important structures. A total of
8000 people were and a lot were missing, a total of 90 000 were homeless thus 95% of the
deaths were due to the tsunami with the reason that the people living at the shoreline stayed
at their homes with no time to evacuate given that the phenomenon happened at dawn of
the 17th. (Arguillas, 2011)

Furthermore, the earthquake occurred at night when offices and schools in Cotabato,
Zamboanga and other cities were unoccupied – thus the loss of life was reduced. Although
the quake had a large magnitude, surprisingly, it produced little ground deformation on land
areas. However, large damages to buildings, bridges and roads in Mindanao was recorded.
The majority of buildings failed because poor construction or inadequate foundations. A
number of such buildings had been constructed on alluvial deposits with no adequate pile
support. Evidence of ground liquefaction was found in many areas where mud bubbles had
reached the surface.

To add, these are some of the structures that were destroyed during the 1976 Moro
Gulf earthquake:

COTABATO CITY (Schools)

o Cotabato Chinese School Gymnasium – a reinforced concrete and wood structure

built in 1962; Its walls fell outward during the earthquake and roof fell in.
o Harvadian College – a partially collapsed five-story structure was investigated. The
building was built in 1962 with a reinforced concrete frame with reinforced concrete
slabs on the second level. Originally it is a three-story building and was later on added
two more stories with no strengthening of the lower stories.
o Notre Dame University – the university is located on Notre Dame Avenue
approximately 1.5 km of the downtown area. The site has wet and soft marshy
ground. Groundwater appeared to be very near the surface as ponds were evident
throughout the site.

COTABATO CITY (Hotels and Restaurants)

o D’MAX Restaurant- a two storey building constructed in 1968 a combination of

reinforced cpncrete and wood. The building collapsed completely.
o Imperial Hotel #2 – a six-story building with reinforced concrete frame built in 1967.
There was superficial damage to the building that consisted of cracks in a column, the
impact caused a shear failure of the second story column.

COTABATO CITY (Theaters)

o Francel Theater- a reinforced concrete and wood building built in 1966. The
reinforced portion of the building collapsed caused by a failure on the wood trusses
of the roof.
o Cotabato Cinema- large structure to the rear of Sultan Hotel. The structure was
already damaged which caused a total collapsed.
COTABATO CITY (Churches)

o Immaculate Conception Church- the grounds were very soft and the church was
obviously not built on piles. The church tower settled by about 15 cm.
o Tamontaka Catholic Church- a structure made of unreinforced brick walls with the
interior timber columns and wooden roof said to have been built by the Spaniards
around 1872. It was built on soft marshy soil. Before the earthquake, the building
already had some structural cracks that could be either due to previous earthquake
or a differential settlement. The church suffered severe damage.

SOURCES:

(2012). Moro Gulf Earthquake-17 August 1976. Retreived November 11, 2017 from
202.90.128.67/html/update_SOEPD/1976MoroGulfEQ/index-moro.html

Arguillas, C. (2011). The 1976 Tsunami: Maguindanao had highest death toll. Retrieved
Novermber 11, 2017 from http://www.mindanews.com/special-reports/2011/03/the-
1976-tsunami-maguindanao-had-highest-death-toll/

Carayannis, G. (1976). Survey of Philippine Earthquake and Tsunami of August 16.

1976, ITIC Report 1976. "Severe Earthquake and Tsunami Hit the Philippines, August 16, 1976.
Abstracted article, Tsunami Newsletter , Vol. IX, No. 3, September, 1976.

Cohn, S., Stewart, G. (1979). The 1976 August 16, Mindanao, Philippine earthquake
(Ms=7.8) – evidence for a subduction zone south of Mindanao. Retrieved November 11, 2017
from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-246X.1979.tb03771.x/abstract

Dela Cruz, G. (2015). Midnight Killer: 1976 Moro Gulf Tsunami. Retreived November
10, 2017 from https://www.rappler.com/move-ph/issues/disasters/102827-1976-moro-
gulf-earthquake-tsunami

Hays, J. (2015). Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Disasters in the Philippines. Retrieved

November 10, 2017 from http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-
asia/Philippines/sub5_6h/entry-3925.html

Malonzo,A.P. (2015). Top 5 Most Destructive Earthquakes in the Philippines. Retreived

November 12, 2017 from http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/feature/2015/07/31/top-
5-most-destructive-earthquakes-philippines-421983