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Wellington
on tsunami watch
Prior to the 8.0 earthquake -
Wellington
is on tsunami watch after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake in the Solomon
Islands this afternoon.
6
February, 2013, 15.19 NZT
Civil
Defence has issued a tsunami 'potential threat' advisory for parts of
New Zealand, as well as countries around the Pacific.
The
warning applies to the North Cape, Auckland West, East Cape,
Gisborne, Auckland East, New Plymouth, and Wellington.
A
powerful earthquake measuring 8.0 magnitude struck the Santa Cruz
Islands, part of the Solomon Islands this afternoon, the US
Geological Survey says.
The
quake was a shallow 5.8km deep and the epicentre was 347km east of
Kira Kira in the Solomon Islands.
The
New Zealand tsunami advisory will stay in place until it is either
upgraded to a tsunami warning or a cancellation message is issued.
A
spokesman from Civil Defence said the National Crisis Centre is being
activated.
"Civil
defence is assembling modelling information that will determine where
we go from here - whether that watch becomes something more than a
watch."
"It's
based on scenarios from historical data and the impacts - based on
magnitudes and sea flows and so on."
Civil
Defence said people in coastal areas should listen to the radio and
television for updates.
The
Pacific Tsunami Warning centre said it is not known whether a tsunami
was generated by the quake.
Its
bulletin applied to areas bordering the Pacific Ocean and adjacent
seas.
A
warning was in effect for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua
New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, Wallis and
Futuna.
A
"watch" was in effect for the Marshall Islands, Howland and
Baker, Pohnpei, Tokelau, samoa, Kermadec Islands, New Zealand,
American Samoa, Samoa, Tonga, Australia, Niue, Cook Islands,
Indonisia, Wake Island, Chuuk, Jarvis Island, Guam, Northern
Marianas, Palmyra Island, Yap, Johnston Isalnd, Minamitorishima and
Belau.
The
warning centre said an earthquake of the size of the one that hit the
Solomons has the potential to generate a tsunami.
Powerful
earthquake strikes off Solomon Islands
A
powerful magnitude 8.0 earthquake has struck off the Solomon Islands
in the Pacific Ocean, generating a "potentially destructive"
tsunami.
BBC,
6
February, 2013
The
quake struck at a depth of 5.8km (3.6 miles) near the Santa Cruz
islands, part of the Solomon Islands nation, the US Geological Survey
said.
A
tsunami warning was issued for the South Pacific islands by the
Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre.
The
centre said the tsunami could be destructive near the epicentre.
"Sea
level readings indicate a tsunami was generated," the
Hawaii-based centre said.
"It
may have been destructive along coasts near the earthquake epicentre
and could also be a threat to more distant coasts."
The
warning was issued for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua New
Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, and Wallis and
Futuna islands.
A
tsunami watch was issued for other nations in the South Pacific,
including Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia.
However,
the Australian Bureau of Meteorology later said Australia was not at
risk from a tsunami.
The
quake struck at 01:12 GMT and France later issued a tsunami warning
for its New Caledonia territory, saying that the wave could strike at
about 03:00 GMT. Residents near the coast were being advised to
evacuate.
The
tsunami warning centre said a wave measuring 0.91m (3ft) had struck
Lata Wharf in the Santa Cruz islands.
The
Solomon Islands form part of the Ring Of Fire, a zone of volcanic
arcs and oceanic trenches encircling the Pacific basin.
The
8.0 earthquake was followed by several aftershocks, the largest
measuring 6.4 magnitude.
The
region has been experiencing a series of smaller quakes in recent
days.
In
2007 an 8.1 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami that killed at
least 52 people in the Solomons and left thousands homeless.
8.0
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10.738°S,
165.138°E
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28.7 km
(17.8 miles)
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SANTA
CRUZ ISLANDS
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81 km (50
miles) W of Lata, Solomon Islands
575 km (357 miles) NNW of Luganville, Vanuatu 581 km (361 miles) ESE of Honiara, Solomon Islands 847 km (526 miles) NNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu |
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horizontal
+/- 14.2 km (8.8 miles); depth +/- 5.2 km (3.2 miles)
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NST=347,
Nph=351, Dmin=586.7 km, Rmss=1.28 sec, Gp= 18°,
M-type=(unknown type), Version=B |
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usc000f1s0
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Prior to the 8.0 earthquake -
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