06/10/2025
Do you know why Palawan rarely (almost never) experiences earthquakes?
📍 It’s not along any active fault line
The major earthquake-generating faults in the Philippines — like the Philippine Fault Zone and the West Valley Fault— are far from Palawan. The island lies on a stable part of the Eurasian Plate which is not being directly affected by these active fault movements.
📍 It’s geologically stable.
Palawan is part of what geologists call a microcontinental block — a piece of continental crust that’s relatively old and stable. It doesn’t experience much tectonic stress or movement compared to other regions like Luzon or Mindanao.
📍 It’s far from subduction zones.
Subduction zones are where one tectonic plate dives under another, creating deep earthquakes and volcanoes (like along the eastern side of the Philippines). Palawan is hundreds of kilometers away from these zones, so it’s shielded from their activity.
Palawan sits on stable, ancient crust and away from active faults and trenches, which is why earthquakes there are extremely rare or very weak when they do happen.
References:
Temblor
ResearchGate
DOST-Phivolcs
📷 Science Konek
Her Thoughts
