Just wanted to get the word out on this one for those ATS'rs in the South Pacific, or who have families there. There's no tsunami yet detected, but
this warning was issued due to the high magnitude of the quake off the Solomon Islands (8.0 mag).
A tsunami alert has been issued for several South Pacific islands after a strong earthquake struck near the Solomon Islands. It wasn't yet known if a tsunami was generated.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says it issued a warning based on an evaluation of the earthquake.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the 8.0-magnitude quake struck Wednesday 81 kilometres west of Lata, in the Solomon Islands, at a depth of 5.8 kilometres. Josephine Mae, a police official in the Solomon's capital city of Honiara, said she had not felt any shaking.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says the tsunami warning is in effect for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, Wallis and Futuna. A tsunami watch is in effect for American Samoa, Australia, New Zealand and eastern Indonesia.
A 3-foot tsunami was generated after a strong earthquake shook the islands in the South Pacific, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
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The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake -- with a preliminary magnitude of 8.0 -- struck Wednesday in the Santa Cruz Islands at a depth of about 3 miles. The Santa Cruz Islands are scarcely populated and are part of the Solomon Islands.
A magnitude 6.4 aftershock occurred shortly after the first rumble, followed by a 6.6 one later. USGS officials said that was "not at all surprising."
Hotel workers on Vanuatu said they felt the earthquake but have not heard of any damage or injuries. An employee who can see the coast from a hotel said he had not noticed any water coming in.
The tsunami warning was in effect for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, Wallis and Futana. A tsunami watch was in effect for Samoa, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia and Guam.