Finding for the Distance to Nearest Faultline
How do you check the distance of a location (ex: your school, house,
barangay) to the nearest fault using Fault Finder?
-To determine the distance of your current location to the nearest fault,
first install the PHIlVOLCS FaultFinder, turn on your gadget’s
tracking device. Click the “VFS Fault Nearest You” or “Active
Fault Nearest You”. You may click on “Active Fault Based on
Location” tab if you want to know the distance of a Barangay to the
nearest active fault. Or you may choose “Double Click a Place on
the Map” and double click your cursor on any area of interest. You
may click “Base Maps” located at the upper rightmost corner of the
map, to change maps. Click “Legend” located at the lower rightmost
corner of the map to see the legend.
a. Using VFS
b. Using Philippines Fault Systems, Active Fault Nearest You
c. Active Fault Based on Location
*Additional Info*
The Marikina Valley fault system, also known
as the Valley fault system (VFS), is a
dominantly right-lateral strike-slip fault system in
Luzon, Philippines. It extends from Doña
Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan in the north, running
through the provinces of Rizal, the Metro Manila
cities of Quezon, Marikina, Pasig, Taguig and
Muntinlupa, and the provinces of Cavite and
Laguna, before ending in Canlubang in the south.
(Map of the Marikina Valley fault system,
showing relative motion and deformation)
1. Why is distance to fault lines important in site selection and structural
design?
The main reason for this is that most destructive earthquakes occur
along with active faults. Abrupt dislocation of active faults in an
earthquake and long-term creep during the interseismic period can
cause serious damage to buildings and public facilities. Avoiding
active faults from a certain distance is the most effective method to
mitigate or prevent destruction induced by such disasters.
* Avoiding Surface Fault Rupture: Catastrophic Risk*
If a building is located directly over or very close to an active fault,
ground rupture during an earthquake can cause severe structural
damage or total loss. Historic cases illustrate this hazard:
a. In the 1992 Landers earthquake (California), horizontal
displacements up to 6 meters occurred, tearing through
structures built over the fault trace.
b. During the 1999
Chi-Chi earthquake in Taiwan, vertical offsets of ~9 meters
ruptured a dam and destroyed buildings at the fault location.
*Regulatory response*
California’s Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zoning Act (1972)
prohibits placing human-occupied structures directly across active
fault traces and typically mandates a setback of at least 50 feet
(~15 m).
In the Philippines, a “no-build zone” of 5 meters on either side of the
fault is enforced to avoid ground fissure risks
* Shaking Intensity & Structural Response*
Even if not on the fault line, proximity still impacts
earthquake shaking, which can severely damage buildings:
a. Faults within a 10 km “near-fault zone” demand higher
seismic design forces due to stronger ground motions.
b. Proximity to active faults informs site-specific seismic
hazard assessments, key for choosing building type,
reinforcement detailing, and overall resilience.
* Amplification by Local Soil & Geology*
The combination of fault proximity and local soil conditions
can amplify shaking—even at sites far from faults:
a. Soft, unconsolidated soils (e.g., clay, fill, river delta deposits)
significantly amplify seismic waves, worsening damage
despite distance from the fault.
b. Seismic microzonation—mapping how earthquake hazards
vary with local soil and geology—is essential for site-specific
risk evaluation.
*Vertical Offsets*
When an earthquake happens along a thrust fault (the type
that pushes one block of land up over another), the ground on
one side of the fault can suddenly rise relative to the other
side.
In the Chi-Chi earthquake (Magnitude 7.6), the rupture along the
Chelungpu Fault caused the land to shift dramatically.
At some locations, the uplift was as much as 9 meters —
imagine one side of the fault line suddenly becoming a three-
storey building taller than the other.
Why this matters for site selection
If a structure (like a house, road, or dam) is sitting directly on the fault
trace, a 9-meter vertical jump would literally tear it apart — no
design can realistically survive such a displacement.
Even very strong, earthquake-resistant buildings are designed for
shaking, not for being split apart by the ground moving in two
different directions.
That’s why engineers stress that buildings should never be located
directly above an active fault line — instead, setback zones (5 m in PH,
15 m in California) are imposed.
2. What policies/codes guide building near active faults?
a. National “umbrella” law for buildings
P.D. 1096 — National Building Code (NBCP) & 2004
Revised IRR
Sets the legal framework: you can’t build without a permit;
the DPWH/National Building Official and LGU Building
Officials enforce compliance.
The IRR points designers to Referral Codes, chiefly the
National Structural Code of the Philippines (NSCP),
for structural/seismic design. In practice, NBCP + NSCP is
the pair used by Building Officials to judge compliance.
b. Structural design standard (for earthquake shaking)
NSCP 2015 (7th Edition, Vol. 1 – Buildings)
Governs seismic design for shaking (not surface rupture
setbacks). It adopts modern seismic provisions and
includes national maps/tables of active faults and
earthquake sources used in hazard characterization.
Key point: NSCP does not give a “no-build distance”
from a fault. Instead, it mandates how to design for
shaking demands based on site class, seismic
parameters, and mapped sources. Setbacks from fault
rupture come from PHIVOLCS/LGU policy (next section).
c. PHIVOLCS guidance (surface rupture avoidance)
Do NOT build on the fault trace; keep a buffer on both
sides.
PHIVOLCS educational/technical materials consistently
advise: “House or building should be at least 5 meters
away from the trace of the fault” (i.e., 5 m on each side).
This is widely used by LGUs as the minimum no-build strip
along mapped active faults.
d. DENR–MGB requirements (site suitability / permitting)
Engineering Geological and Geohazard Assessment
Report (EGGAR)
For subdivisions, housing and many land-development
projects, the DENR–MGB requires an EGGAR as part of the
Environmental Impact Assessment / ECC process.
Legal basis: DENR Administrative Order 2000-28 (methods
& content) and DENR Memorandum Circular 2000-21
(EGGAR required for private & government
subdivision/housing projects). The EGGAR must document
engineering geology, structural geology and geohazards,
and is reviewed/verified by MGB.
e. LGU zoning & special ordinances (fault-zone “no-build” rules)
Many LGUs codify PHIVOLCS’ 5-m-per-side buffer as a hard no-
build zone, sometimes adding marking and disclosure rules.
Examples:
Muntinlupa City – Ordinance 2024-174 (signed Apr
16, 2024):
Declares parcels traversed by the West Valley Fault
plus a 5-m easement on both sides as “Earthquake
Faults and Fissures Danger Zones”, designated no-
build zones (no new permits). The ordinance requires the
City to maintain the West Valley Fault Atlas and mark
fault/fissure traces on the ground.
Quezon City – DRRM practice:
City DRRM documents reference protecting inhabitants
within 5–10 m buffer zones along the West Valley Fault
and institutionalize a fault task group for mitigation and
enforcement; specific zoning constraints are implemented
through the City’s Zoning Ordinance and DRRM
mechanisms.
*How it all works together in practice*
1. Site screening: Use HazardHunterPH/FaultFinder and the PHIVOLCS
Active Fault Map/Valley Fault Atlas to see if the parcel is traversed or
within the buffer. If the mapped fault runs through the lot, treat at least
a 10-m strip (5 m each side) as no-build (or stricter if your LGU
requires).
2. EGGAR (if applicable): Commission an EGGAR; MGB review will flag
ground-rupture and other geohazards, and your land-use/lotting must
respect the no-build strip before the ECC/permits proceed.
3. Structural design for shaking (outside the strip): Design the permitted
buildings per NSCP 2015 (site class, seismic parameters, ductile
detailing, etc.). NSCP handles shaking, not surface rupture—so you still
need the PHIVOLCS/LGU setback.
4. Permits & enforcement: The LGU Building Official will check zoning
clearance (no-build compliance) and structural compliance (NSCP)
before issuing a Building Permit under NBCP.
