Philippine Trench

The Philippine Trench, in the middle of the picture.

The Philippine Trench (also called the Philippine Deep, Mindanao Trench, and the Mindanao Deep) is a submarine trench to the east of the Philippines. The trench is located in the Philippine sea of the western North Pacific Ocean and continues NNW-SSE.[1] It has a length of approximately 1,320 kilometres (820 miles) and a width of about 30 km (19 mi) from the center of the Philippine island of Luzon trending southeast to the northern Maluku island of Halmahera in Indonesia. At its deepest point, the trench reaches 10,540 meters (34,580 ft or 5,760 fathoms).[2]

Large earthquakes near the Philippine Trench
1988
1988
1982
1982
1975
1975
1995
1995
1952
1952
1911
1911
1989
1989
1991
1991
1921
1921
1943
1943
2001
2001
A sample of 10 large earthquakes ≥ 7.2 Mw near the Philippine Trench within the last 100 years: in 1911,[3] 1921,[4] 1943,[5] 1952,[6] 1975,[7] 1982,[8] 1988,[9] 1989,[10] 1991,[11] 1995,[12] 2001,[13] and 2012[14] with the last being the 2012 Samar earthquake. See also map below.
The Philippine Trench in the east which continues downward, and the Philippine Mobile Belt.

Immediately to the north of the Philippine Trench is the East Luzon Trench. They are separated, with their continuity interrupted and displaced, by Benham Plateau on the Philippine Sea Plate.[2]

  1. ^ Hessler, Robert R.; Ingram, Camilla L.; Yayanos, A. Aristides; Burnett, Bryan R. (1978). "Scavenging amphipods from the floor of the Philippine trench". Deep Sea Research. 25 (11): 1029–1047. Bibcode:1978DSR....25.1029H. doi:10.1016/0146-6291(78)90585-4.
  2. ^ a b Deschamps, A.; Lallemand, S. (2003). "Geodynamic setting of Izu-Bonin-Mariana boninites". In Larter, R.D.; Leat, P.T. (eds.). Intra-Oceanic Subduction Systems: Tectonic and Magmatic Processes. Geological Society, London, Special Publications. Vol. 219. pp. 163–185.
  3. ^ "M 7.7 - Philippine Islands region". United States Geological Survey. 1911.
  4. ^ "M 7.4 - Philippine Islands region". United States Geological Survey. 1921.
  5. ^ "M 7.8 - Philippine Islands region". United States Geological Survey. 1943.
  6. ^ "M 7.3 - Philippine Islands region". United States Geological Survey. 1952.
  7. ^ "M 7.2 - Samar, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. 1975.
  8. ^ "M 7.1 - Catanduanes, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. 1982.
  9. ^ "M 7.3 - Catanduanes, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. 1988.
  10. ^ "M 7.6 - Mindanao, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. 1989.
  11. ^ "M 7.0 - Mindanao, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. 1991.
  12. ^ "M 7.2 - Samar, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. 1995.
  13. ^ "M 7.5 - Mindanao, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. 2001.
  14. ^ "M 7.2 - Samar, Philippines". United States Geological Survey. 2012.