TSUNAMI + QUAKE AGAIN in the Pacific

[AhLeePaPa]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091007/wl_afp/quakevanuatu_20091007224441


Great quake hits South Pacific, tsunami warning issued
AFP


Huge 7.9 earthquake prompts Pacific tsunami warning AFP/File – Seismograph readings. A huge 7.9-magnitude earthquake near Vanuatu prompted a tsunami warning over large …

* Earthquakes Video:Fourth quake strikes Vanuatu Australia 7 News
* Tsunami sends island residents to higher ground Play Video Earthquakes Video:Tsunami sends island residents to higher ground AP
* Quake survivors lacking basic needs Play Video Earthquakes Video:Quake survivors lacking basic needs Reuters

Wed Oct 7, 6:44 pm ET

PORT-VILA (AFP) – An 8.1-magnitude quake hit the Santa Cruz islands in the South Pacific early Thursday, seismologists said, and a tsunami warning had been issued for Vanuatu and other nearby countries.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091007/ts_nm/us_quake_pacific_1

Fresh quake renews tsunami fears for Pacific
Reuters


A computer graph at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center shows the area where an earthquake and tsunami warning was generated near Papua New Guinea in E Reuters – A computer graph at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center shows the area where an earthquake and tsunami …

* Strong quake triggers tsunami in Samoa Slideshow:Strong quake triggers tsunami in Samoa
* Earthquakes Video:Fourth quake strikes Vanuatu Australia 7 News
* Tsunami sends island residents to higher ground Play Video Earthquakes Video:Tsunami sends island residents to higher ground AP

Wed Oct 7, 6:55 pm ET

SYDNEY (Reuters) – A huge subsea quake struck the southwest Pacific on Thursday, local time, prompting a tsunami warning for island nations only a week after a deadly wave swept over the Samoa islands, killing around 150 people.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued the warning for 11 nations, including Papua New Guinea, an oil and gas supplier, and the popular resort islands of Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia.

The Hawaii-based center also issued a tsunami watch for the wider western Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and the nations of American Samoa and Samoa, which were smashed by a tsunami that destroyed whole villages last week.

A spokesman for New Zealand's Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergency Management said it was issuing a tsunami advisory for people not to be on beaches or boats near the coast.

The ministry is awaiting further information before taking further steps, the spokesman said.

For the tsunami bulletin, click on http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/messages/pacific/2009/pacific.2009.

10.07.221655.txt

The warning followed a 7.8 magnitude quake 232 miles north-northwest of Vanuatu, at a depth of 20.5 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said on Wednesday, U.S. time.

Vanuatu police in the capital, Port Vila, said they had not felt the quake and there were no immediate reports of sea level rises.

Moments before the Pacific quake, a magnitude 6.7 tremor struck southeast of the Sulu archipelago of the Philippines, which is still mopping up from a typhoon that killed at least 22 people.

(Reporting by World Desk Americas, Michael Perry in Sydney, Adrian Bathgate in Wellington; writing by Mark Bendeich; Editing by Jonathan Standing)

 

[MM_DURAI]

http://www.theage.com.au/world/tsunami-panic-as-new-quakes-rock-south-pacific-20091008-gnrv.html

Tsunami panic as new quakes rock South Pacific
October 8, 2009

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Quake and tsunami warning

An earthquake near Vanuatu triggers a tsunami warning in the Pacific.

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More aftershocks are expected in coming days after a series of powerful earthquakes triggered a tsunami alert for much of the South Pacific, including Australia’s northeast coast.

The latest tremors caused panic on many of the region’s remote islands just days after 184 people were killed when giant waves, whipped up by another earthquake, smashed into Samoa and neighbouring islands.

A warning was issued today by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre for some 25 countries and territories stretching as far as Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia.

View October 8 Pacific quakes in a larger map

The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Centre issued a tsunami watch for areas off the north Queensland coast but cancelled the alert after more detailed analysis.

The first of three earthquakes struck about 500 km northwest of Vanuatu at 9.03am (AEDT), prompting thousands of people on remote islands to flee to higher ground.

Geoscience Australia said the large ‘‘potentially tsunamigenic’’ magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 38 km below the seabed and was followed by a series of strong aftershocks.

The two largest aftershocks were recorded at magnitudes of 7.4 and 6.8, occurring at 9.19am and 10.13am respectively.

However, the quakes produced only a small tsunami, with waves of just three to 10 centimetres recorded. Experts said serious damage was unlikely.

Geoscience Australia’s senior seismologist, Dr Phil Cummins, said the absence of damage was not unexpected as the closest areas of significant population were outside the range of impact.

‘‘Following this size earthquake we would expect to see a number of aftershocks in the coming days, and possibly weeks, gradually reducing in size and frequency’’, Dr Cummins said.

Authorities in Vanuatu said conditions around the archipelago were calm and that people in offices and resorts who moved to higher ground had since returned.

The Vanuatu Tourism Office said there was some minor structural damage on the island of Espiritu Santo but no reports of fatalities or injuries.

There were no reports of damage in the capital Port Vila or on Efate Island and there had been no effect on tourism operations.

Air Vanuatu said it would maintain normal services.

The airline’s Australian manager, Malcolm Pryor, said he was not aware of anyone who had booked with Air Vanuatu cancelling their travel plans.

‘‘Passengers that were booked today all elected to travel,’’ he said.

The latest earthquakes follow those that impacted on the Samoa region and Indonesia last week. A 7.6-magnitude quake off the western coast of Sumatra killed more than 1000 people and left half a million homeless.

Dr Cummins said it was remarkable to have so many large earthquakes over such a short space of time, adding that while they were related as part of the Earth’s ongoing dynamic processes, there was no direct connection.

‘‘This earthquake occurred where the Australian plate slides beneath the Pacific Plate and releases stress which builds up due to this process,’’ he said.

‘‘Earthquakes will continue to occur at the boundaries of the Australian Plate as it pushes slowly northeast at approximately seven centimetres per year, resulting in collisions with the Pacific, Eurasian and Philippine plates.’’

AAP