Strong undersea earthquakes have struck Tonga and the Indonesian territory of Papua today.
Thursday 4th November 2010
The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 120 km north-east of Nuku’Alofa (200 km south of Neiafu) Tonga at 12:35 New Zealand Daylight Time today. The undersea quake was 33 km deep.
Geoscience Australia reports the event as magnitude 6.2 at a depth of 60 km. It estimates that the quake would have caused damage within 44 km of the epicentre and would have been felt up to 560 km away.
Early this morning, New Zealand time, a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck 130 km north of Dobo, Kepulauan Aru, (270 km west-south-west of Enarotali, Papua) Indonesia. The undersea quake, which struck at eighteen minutes after midnight New Zealand time, was 15 km deep according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Geoscience Australia reports this earthquake as a surface event (0 km) at magnitude 6.1. It estimates that the quake would have caused damage within 40 km of the epicentre and would have been felt up to 500 km away.
[Compiled from data supplied by the U.S. Geological Survey and Geoscience Australia and their contributing agencies.]