Two moderately strong earthquakes struck near Tonga and Samoa today.
Thursday 22nd April 2010
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 105 km north-north-east of Hihifo, Tonga (215 km south-west of the Samoan capital Apia) at 5:20 this morning, New Zealand time. The U.S. Geological Survey reports the quake as 35 km deep.
Geoscience Australia also reports the quake as magnitude 5.9 but at a depth of 60 km. It estimates that the quake would have caused damage up to 33 km from the epicentre and would have been felt up to 400 km away.
A magnitude 5.2 quake struck the same area at 4:03 this afternoon. This event was centred 100 km north-north-east of Hihifo, 220 km south-west of Apia.
[Compiled from data supplied by the U.S. Geological Survey and Geoscience Australia and their contributing agencies.]