Cotabato Trench
Oceanic trench in the Pacific Ocean
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Related on Lably
Through Sedimentary rock and Tsunami
Seismicity
The trench is associated with large megathrust earthquakes, including the 1913 Sulawesi–Mindanao earthquake (M 7.9), the 1918 Celebes Sea earthquake (M 8.3), the 1976 Moro Gulf earthquake (M 8.0), the 2002 Mindanao earthquake (M 7.5), and the 2026 Mindanao earthquake (M 7.8).
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Tsunami hazard
The Cotabato Trench is one of the main structure around the Philippines likely to be associated with tsunamigenic earthquakes. The tsunami generated by the 1976 earthquake caused about 4,000 deaths on Mindanao. Modelling of likely further tsunamis along the Cotabato Trench suggests that run-ups of several metres are likely for future earthquakes similar in size to the 1976 event.
In January 2026, an earthquake swarm along the trench with magnitudes ranging from 1.4 to 5.2 forced the closure of schools and government offices in Sultan Kudarat. On June 8, 2026, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake was generated by the trench.