Tonga quake triggers tsunami warning
March 20th, 2009 - 12:13 pm ICT by ANILondon, March 20 (ANI): A major 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck off the Tonga islands region has led local radio stations to issue a tsunami warning for Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.
According to a report in the Telegraph, the quake, which hit in early morning today, was centered 130 miles south-southeast of the Tongan capital NukuAlofa and 300 miles southeast of Ndoi Island, Fiji.
It struck at a depth of 6.2 miles, the US Geological Survey said.
The quake occurred near fault lines in the Pacific Ring of Fire, where continental plates in the earths crust meet and earthquakes and volcanic activity are common.
A tsunami warning was issued by the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre for Tonga, Niue, Kermadec Islands, American Samoa, Samoa and Fiji.
An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicenter within minutes to hours. Authorities in the region should take appropriate action in response to this possibility, the centre said.
Local radio stations in Tonga broadcast warnings that a tsunami was possible and that people should move away from coastal villages, but police cited locals who said no big wave had been reported.
Niua Kama, a police spokesman, said that residents did not appear to take the warning seriously.
People are out on the roads, laughing at the warning, he told The Associated Press. They are not moving from the coast even though there had been a strong warning of a tsunami. Police have not taken any action at this stage, he added.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. (ANI)
- Strong quake hits deep underneath the South Pacific Ocean - Dec 28, 2010
- Strong earthquake strikes south of the Fiji Islands, close to Tonga - May 15, 2010
- Strong earthquake strikes off Tonga's capital, no tsunami threat - Feb 13, 2010
- Strong earthquake hits off Tonga, no damage expected - Oct 12, 2010
- Small tsunami after huge earthquake off Tonga - Mar 20, 2009
- Devastating earthquake in Chile kills dozens, sparks tsunami warnings for dozens of countries - Feb 27, 2010
- Tsunami hits Pacific Islands (Hawaii under threat) - Updated - Sep 30, 2009
- New Zealand's Kermadec Islands struck by massive quakes - Jul 07, 2011
- Devastating earthquake in Chile kills dozens, sparks tsunami warnings for dozens of countries - Feb 27, 2010
- Devastating earthquake in Chile kills dozens, sparks tsunami warnings for dozens of countries - Feb 27, 2010
- Devastating earthquake in Chile kills dozens, sparks tsunami warnings for dozens of countries (Update) - Feb 27, 2010
- 7.3 magnitude earthquake strikes Fiji - Sep 16, 2011
- Pacific Islands hit by a 4 meter Tsunami - Sep 30, 2009
- Strong earthquake strikes off Tonga, no damage reported - Dec 26, 2011
- Strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake jolts the Pacific Ocean near Tonga - Sep 23, 2011
Tags: american samoa, coastal villages, continental plates, earths crust, fault lines, island fiji, islands region, kermadec islands, local radio stations, london march, magnitude earthquake, minutes to hours, nukualofa, pacific ring of fire, pacific tsunami warning, pacific tsunami warning centre, police spokesman, tonga islands, tsunami warning centre, us geological survey