The Magnitude 9.0 Earthquake Threat Metro Manila Doesn't Know About

Beneath Manila Bay, 30 kilometers below the seafloor, the Manila Trench—a megathrust fault capable of producing a magnitude 9.0 earthquake—has been locked for over 500 years. When it ruptures, 13 million people will have just 20 minutes before a 15-20 meter tsunami strikes the coast. This is the earthquake and tsunami threat most Filipinos don't know about. And it's bigger than the Marikina Valley Fault.

The Manila Trench is the same type of fault that caused the 2011 Japan tsunami (magnitude 9.1, 18,000 dead) and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami (magnitude 9.3, 230,000 dead). But unlike the Marikina Valley Fault—which everyone in Metro Manila knows about—the Manila Trench is underwater, largely unknown, and far more dangerous.

In this video, we uncover the Philippine Megathrust: what it is, why it's so dangerous, when it might rupture, and what a magnitude 8 to 9 earthquake and tsunami would mean for Metro Manila and millions of Filipinos.

Source: www.youtube.com