Strong undersea earthquakes have struck the South Sandwich Islands and Mindanao in the Philippines this evening.
Wednesday 8th December 2010
Two strong earthquakes have struck the planet today.
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck 85 km east-north-east of Viskoi Island in the South Atlantic Ocean at 6:25 this evening New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT). The undersea quake was centred near the South Sandwich Islands at a depth of 17 km. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has not issued a bulletin for this event.
Geoscience Australia reports the quake as magnitude 6.5 at the greater depth of 50 km. It estimates that the quake would have been felt up to 750 km from the epicentre.
At 7:47 p.m. NZDT a magnitude 6.1 quake struck off the coast of Mindanao in the Philippines. The undersea quake was centred 115 km south-south-east of Hinatuan, 115 km east-north-east of Davao, at a depth of 70 km. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has not issued a bulletin for this event.
Geoscience Australia reports this event as magnitude 6.3 with the epicentre about 50 km further off the coast of Mindanao at a depth of 60 km. Its report suggests that the quake would not have caused damage on the island but would have been felt within 600 km of the epicentre.
[Compiled from data supplied by the U.S. Geological Survey and Geoscience Australia and their contributing agencies.]