PHILIPPINE SEA, December 27 (ANI): An earthquake of magnitude 6.6 struck the Philippine Sea on Saturday, according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS). The quake occurred at a depth of 65 kilometers.
In a post on X, the NCS reported: “EQ of M: 6.6, On: 27/12/2025 20:35:56 IST, Lat: 24.64 N, Long: 122.12 E, Depth: 65 Km, Location: Philippine Sea.”
The Philippine Sea lies east of the Philippines and is part of the western Pacific Ocean, underlain by the Philippine Sea Plate. While the Philippines has sovereign rights over its adjacent waters, the broader Philippine Sea is shared with other nations, including Japan and Taiwan.
The Philippines is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonic belt of volcanic arcs and oceanic trenches. John Dale B. Dianala, assistant professor at the National Institute of Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines, explained that the country is crisscrossed by numerous onshore and offshore tectonic faults.
“The entire length of the Philippines, around 1,800 kilometers, lies along the boundary of two major tectonic plates—the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate—part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. These plates have been pushing against each other for millions of years at two to three times the rate of fingernail growth,” he told Al Jazeera.
Dianala added that earthquakes are caused by the periodic release of stress along these faults, resulting in several meters of movement during large quakes. Vertical displacement of the seafloor from offshore faults, such as the Philippine Trench east of the country, can displace the water column and generate tsunamis. Strong shaking may also trigger submarine landslides, which can further contribute to tsunami risk.
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