A major earthquake struck the Loyalty Islands and Vanuatu this evening.
Tuesday, 10th May 2011
A magnitude 7.1 undersea earthquake struck 149 km north-north-east of Tadine in the Loyalty Islands at 8:55 this evening, New Zealand time. The quake, centred 134 km south-west of Isangel, Tanna, Vanuatu was 26 km deep according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Geoscience Australia also reports the earthquake as magnitude 7.1 but at a depth of 66 km. It estimates that the quake would have caused damage within 110 km of the epicentre, and would have been felt up to 1400 km away.
[click for larger image] The trace from the earthquake appeared on most of the seismographs published on the GeoNet website.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a bulletin for the event at 9:02 New Zealand time advising that, based on historical data, a widespread tsunami threat did not exist.
The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre issued a bulletin at 9:08 p.m. advising that there was no tsunami threat to Australia.
[Compiled from data supplied by the U.S. Geological Survey and its contributing agencies, the U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, Geoscience Australia, and the Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre.]