Tsunami on way to SG51.
Click for CNN video.
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/17/asia/earthquake-papua-new-guinea/
7.9 earthquake strikes off Papua New Guinea; tsunami alert issued
By Jason Hanna, CNN
Updated 1237 GMT (2037 HKT) December 17, 2016
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earthquake america risk doubles orig nws_00000206.jpg
America's earthquake risk doubles
pkg simon orig earthquake swarm_00010830.jpg
Earthquake swarms sign of the big one?
Tsunami warning after earthquake in Japan
japan earthquake tsunami gray lead_00002707.jpg
Japan bracing for tsunami after earthquake
A house destroyed by the 2011 earthquake.
Remembering Japan's 2011 earthquake disaster
ring of fire chad myers weather orig_00003221.jpg
What is the 'Ring of Fire'?
earthquake early warning system orig mg_00002310.jpg
Why aren't earthquake warnings better?
nepal earthquake comparision biggest japan haiti bpu orig_00001016.jpg
Big quakes caught on tape
orig 5 most powerful earthquakes on record npr_00002704.jpg
5 most powerful recorded earthquakes
Cascadia fault danger orig_00023122.jpg
The tsunami everyone sees coming
Story highlights
Quake struck 45 kilometers east of PNG
New Zealand issues tsunami warning
(CNN)Dangerous waves could be headed to some South Pacific coasts after an 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck in the sea off Papua New Guinea on Saturday night, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a preliminary alert.
The quake struck in the ocean about 45 kilometers east of Papua New Guinea's New Ireland island, also known as Latangai, at about 8:51 p.m. (5:51 a.m. ET), the US Geological Survey said.
Hazardous tsunamis are possible though about midnight local time along some coasts of that country, as well as the Solomon Islands, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Indonesia, Nauru, Kosrae and Vanuatu, the PTWC said.
CNN Map
7.9 earthquake
New Zealand's Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management also issued a tsunami warning for the country, in a tweet.
"No evacuations are necessary at this stage," added the MCDEM in another tweet. "However, please stay out of the water and off the beaches following this evening's tsunami threat."
The 'Ring of Fire'
Papua New Guinea is along the "Ring of Fire," a zone of seismic activity and volcanoes around the edges of the Pacific Ocean. It's a vast area where about 90% of the world's earthquakes occur, according to the USGS.
Tsunamis Fast Facts
Tsunamis Fast Facts
The ring, which actually is shaped more like a horseshoe, includes more than 400 underwater volcanoes and stretches 25,000 miles from New Zealand, past Japan, across the Bering Strait and down to the tip of South America.
Quake zone
Tremors in this part of the world are fairly common, and earlier this month a magnitude-7.8 earthquake also hit close to the Solomon Islands.
That December 9 earthquake was "one of the biggest and longest I have ever felt," said Tali Hong, who has lived in the capital Honiara his entire life.
However, the largest observed wave from that quake, according to sea level gauges, was only 0.12 meters (5 inches) near Honiara on the island of Guadalcanal, some 200 kilometers (124 miles) northwest of the epicenter.
Click for CNN video.
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/17/asia/earthquake-papua-new-guinea/
7.9 earthquake strikes off Papua New Guinea; tsunami alert issued
By Jason Hanna, CNN
Updated 1237 GMT (2037 HKT) December 17, 2016
ring of fire chad myers weather orig_00003221
earthquake america risk doubles orig nws_00000206.jpg
America's earthquake risk doubles
pkg simon orig earthquake swarm_00010830.jpg
Earthquake swarms sign of the big one?
Tsunami warning after earthquake in Japan
japan earthquake tsunami gray lead_00002707.jpg
Japan bracing for tsunami after earthquake
A house destroyed by the 2011 earthquake.
Remembering Japan's 2011 earthquake disaster
ring of fire chad myers weather orig_00003221.jpg
What is the 'Ring of Fire'?
earthquake early warning system orig mg_00002310.jpg
Why aren't earthquake warnings better?
nepal earthquake comparision biggest japan haiti bpu orig_00001016.jpgNow Playing
Big quakes caught on tape
orig 5 most powerful earthquakes on record npr_00002704.jpg
5 most powerful recorded earthquakes
Cascadia fault danger orig_00023122.jpg
The tsunami everyone sees coming
earthquake america risk doubles orig nws_00000206.jpg
America's earthquake risk doubles
pkg simon orig earthquake swarm_00010830.jpg
Earthquake swarms sign of the big one?
Tsunami warning after earthquake in Japan
japan earthquake tsunami gray lead_00002707.jpg
Japan bracing for tsunami after earthquake
A house destroyed by the 2011 earthquake.
Remembering Japan's 2011 earthquake disaster
ring of fire chad myers weather orig_00003221.jpg
What is the 'Ring of Fire'?
earthquake early warning system orig mg_00002310.jpg
Why aren't earthquake warnings better?
nepal earthquake comparision biggest japan haiti bpu orig_00001016.jpg
Big quakes caught on tape
orig 5 most powerful earthquakes on record npr_00002704.jpg
5 most powerful recorded earthquakes
Cascadia fault danger orig_00023122.jpg
The tsunami everyone sees coming
Story highlights
Quake struck 45 kilometers east of PNG
New Zealand issues tsunami warning
(CNN)Dangerous waves could be headed to some South Pacific coasts after an 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck in the sea off Papua New Guinea on Saturday night, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a preliminary alert.
The quake struck in the ocean about 45 kilometers east of Papua New Guinea's New Ireland island, also known as Latangai, at about 8:51 p.m. (5:51 a.m. ET), the US Geological Survey said.
Hazardous tsunamis are possible though about midnight local time along some coasts of that country, as well as the Solomon Islands, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Indonesia, Nauru, Kosrae and Vanuatu, the PTWC said.
CNN Map
7.9 earthquake
New Zealand's Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management also issued a tsunami warning for the country, in a tweet.
"No evacuations are necessary at this stage," added the MCDEM in another tweet. "However, please stay out of the water and off the beaches following this evening's tsunami threat."
The 'Ring of Fire'
Papua New Guinea is along the "Ring of Fire," a zone of seismic activity and volcanoes around the edges of the Pacific Ocean. It's a vast area where about 90% of the world's earthquakes occur, according to the USGS.
Tsunamis Fast Facts
Tsunamis Fast Facts
The ring, which actually is shaped more like a horseshoe, includes more than 400 underwater volcanoes and stretches 25,000 miles from New Zealand, past Japan, across the Bering Strait and down to the tip of South America.
Quake zone
Tremors in this part of the world are fairly common, and earlier this month a magnitude-7.8 earthquake also hit close to the Solomon Islands.
That December 9 earthquake was "one of the biggest and longest I have ever felt," said Tali Hong, who has lived in the capital Honiara his entire life.
However, the largest observed wave from that quake, according to sea level gauges, was only 0.12 meters (5 inches) near Honiara on the island of Guadalcanal, some 200 kilometers (124 miles) northwest of the epicenter.
