No Tsunami Threat to West Coast Because of Solomon Island Quake

Published 02/05/2013

(Manzanita, Oregon) - A massive earthquake in the Solomon Islands earlier Tuesday (West Coast time) is causing a tsunami warning or watch for parts of the Pacific Ocean near New Zealand and Australia – but will not – repeat NOT affect the Oregon coast, or the west coast of the Americas.

There is a small possibility Hawaii may see something, according to NOAA officials, but no warnings of any kind are being issued and the island state is not expected to be at risk. Again: there are no warnings or watches for Hawaii at this time.

The biggest quake was reported by the USGS as a magnitude 8.0. It was a shallow quake at 5.8 kilometres deep, with the epicentre at 347km east of Kira Kira in the Solomon Islands.

Since then at least five strong aftershocks have been recorded, including some as high as 6.4.

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology is reporting the quake has triggered a tsunami around the Solomon Islands - part of a string of about 1,000 islands - but Australia is not at risk.

NOAA and Australian officials have issued a tsunami warning for areas around Australia and New Zealand, including: Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, Wallis and Futuna.

A Tsunami Watch is in Effect For Marshall Islands, Howland and Baker, Pohnpei, Tokelau, Samoa, Kermadec Islands, New Zealand, American Samoa, Tonga, Australia, Niue, Cook Islands, Indonesia, Wake Island, Chuuk, Jarvis Island, Guam, Northern Marianas, Palmyra Island, Yap, Johnston Island, Minamitorishima, Belau.

Link: the Tsunami Warning from NOAA.

Link: Live Earthquake Updates from Oregon, Washington. B.C., California, Alaska.

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