Tsunami warnings in effect after major earthquake hits the South Pacific
May 28th, 2010 - 12:59 am ICT by BNO NewsNEW YORK (BNO NEWS) — A major earthquake struck off the Vanuatu Islands on early Friday, seismologists said, prompting tsunami warnings for nearby coasts.
The 7.2-magnitude earthquake at 4.14 a.m. local time (1714 UTC Thursday) was centered about 215 kilometers (135 miles) north-northwest of Luganville, a city on the island of Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu. It struck about 36.1 kilometers (22.4 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which initially measured the strength of the earthquake at 7.6, immediately issued a tsunami warning for the Solomon Islands, the Vanuatu Islands, and New Caledonia.
“It is not known that a tsunami was generated,” the center said in its warning. “This warning is based only on the earthquake evaluation. 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.”
The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland or islands.
Based on the initial magnitude of 7.6, the European Union Joint Research Centre estimated that the maximum tsunami wave height would likely be 0.85 meter.
Two aftershocks were recorded soon after the initial earthquake. The first one, at 4.24 a.m. local time (1724 UTC Thursday), had a preliminary magnitude of 5.7. The second aftershock, at 4.45 a.m. local time (1745 UTC Thursday), had a preliminary magnitude of 5.2.
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