A major earthquake struck the Solomon Islands late this evening New Zealand time.
Sunday 11th April 2010
A magnitude seven undersea earthquake struck the Solomon Islands at 9:40 p.m. this evening New Zealand time.
The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake as magnitude 7.1 located 97 km west-south-west of Kira Kira in the Solomon Islands (211 km south-east of Honiara) at a depth of 52 km.
Geoscience Australia reports the event as magnitude 7.2 and deeper at 90 km. They estimate that the quake would have caused damage within 120 km of the epicentre, and would have been felt up to 1500 km away.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued two bulletins for this event ”“ one for Hawaii and the other for the Pacific Ocean. Recording the event as magnitude 7.0 at a depth of 70 km, they advise that a Pacific-wide tsunami threat does not exist, but note that a locally destructive wave may have been generated.
[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 and Geoscience Australia.]