Philippine officials urge calm as fears grow over the possibility of a massive earthquake “looming on the horizon.”

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Authorities in the Philippines have urged calm after citizens panicked over the possibility of a massive earthquake “looming on the horizon” even as the country recovers from a series of quakes that caused widespread damage in recent weeks.

Last month alone, strong earthquakes struck several parts of the Philippines, damaging buildings, knocking out power, and injuring dozens of people. A 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the municipality of Davao Oriental in early October sent residents onto the streets and caused minor landslides, power outages and structural cracks in homes and public buildings.

In Cebu province, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck, damaging roads and bridges, while schools suspended classes to conduct safety inspections. Smaller tremors were also felt in Luzon, including a 5.1 magnitude earthquake in Zambales and a 4.4 magnitude earthquake in La Union, causing minor damage to homes and churches but no major casualties.

Now, the possibility of a “major” earthquake is gripping the nation, although officials at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said there is no reason to panic.

Classes have been suspended until the end of October in Laguna province in light of “looming earthquakes,” according to Gov. Sol Aragones, the South China Morning Post reported. He later explained that the leave would be used to “audit the structural integrity of school buildings.”

Earlier this month, 40 high school students were rushed to an emergency unit in Baguio City following a 4.4-magnitude earthquake in coastal La Union province, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said, calling the incident “mass hysteria.”

“We were exhausted. We had to set up tents, but they were all suffering from what we call hyperventilation syndrome or hysteria. It was mass hysteria,” he said at a public news conference, according to SCMP.

A large study by a government agency estimated that a 7.2-magnitude earthquake along the West Valley Fault — part of the Marikina Valley Fault System in the Philippines — could cause about 34,000 deaths, injure more than 100,000 people and cause severe damage to hundreds of thousands of buildings and homes across the metropolitan area.

A fault is a fracture or zone of fractures between two blocks of rock. Errors allow blocks to move relative to each other. This movement may occur quickly, in the form of an earthquake, according to the US Geological Survey.

The West Valley Fault passes through or near densely populated areas including Quezon City, Marikina, Pasig, Makati, Taguig, and Muntinlupa, and extends into Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, and Laguna – making it one of the most dangerous earthquake zones in the country.

The last known major movement of the fault was in 1658, and the recurrence interval – the time between major earthquakes – is estimated at 400 to 600 years. This means that scientists consider it “due” for renewed movement any time between 2058 and 2258, although there is still a great deal of uncertainty.

Teresito Bakulcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said there was no reason to panic, stressing that the recent tremors were not related and that seismic activity across the country remained within normal levels.

“This is normal. It's just that there have been several strong earthquakes that people have felt recently, but everything is normal,” he told ANC Radio in a mix of Filipino and English.

Motorists pass through a crack in the road along the main highway in Tabogon town, Cebu province, central Philippines (AFP/Getty)

Although a major earthquake on the fault is inevitable at some point, it cannot be predicted accurately, Bakulkul said. “Of course there is uncertainty – it could be give or take several decades. It could happen early; that's why we say we have to be prepared for the big event,” he told the ANC.

The Philippines experiences about 30 earthquakes a day on average, most of them too small to be felt, because it lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” – one of the most seismically active regions in the world.

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