Marine eco system damaged – powerful earthquake caused costal uplift

A powerful earthquake that killed over 60 people in the Philippines also caused the land to rise by two metres, damaging the marine ecosystem, according to the country’s Department of Environment.

The 7.8-magnitude quake off Mindanao on Monday created a coastal uplift that shifted the shoreline by as much as 200 metres in some places, exposing parts of the seabed, including coral reefs and seagrass that had previously been submerged.

Images released by the Department of Environment show large sections of exposed coral reefs and vast numbers of dead fish and other marine life that have been washed ashore.

– The exposed coral reefs and seagrass have begun to die, as have algae, reef fish, eels and mussels, the Department of Environment said in a statement.

^{Photo: Jam Sta Rosa/AFP/TT The earthquake caused major shift the ground. Photo from the town General Santos June 9.}