Tsunami Warnings Cancelled After Tonga Quake

SHAKE AND BLOW

This image released by the US Geological Survey shows the location of an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the open-ended Richter scale that hit the Pacific islands in the Tonga region early 04 May 2006. The USGS called it a "great" quake which struck at 4:26 am local time (1526 GMT) in the middle of the islands that make up Tonga. The epicenter was 155 kilometers (95 miles) south of Neiafu island and 160 km (100 miles) northeast of Nuku'Alofa, the main island, the US monitoring centre said. The quake was recorded 16 kilometers (10 miles) below the surface. Photo courtesy of USGS, HO, Getty Out and AFP.

by Staff Writers
Los Angeles (AFP) May 04, 2006
Tsunami warnings for New Zealand, Fiji and the rest of the Pacific have been cancelled following a massive 8.0 quake in Tonga, US tsunami monitors said Wednesday. "The tsunami warning has been cancelled for the entire Pacific region," said geophysicist Vindel Hsu of the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. "There is no danger at this moment," he added.

The tsunami center had issued a tsunami warning for New Zealand and the islands of Fiji and also issued a tsunami alert for the rest of the Pacific Ocean following the temblor that struck at 4:26 am local time Thursday (1526 GMT Wednesday).

But apart from a small tsunami generated off the Pacific islands of Niue and Pago Pago, a local wave measuring just half meter (1.65 foot) detected near the quake's epicenter, no tsunami activity was recorded, Hsu said.

The US Geological Survey said the quake measured a magnitude 8.0 on its scale. The Pacific Tsunami center originally said it was an 8.0 on its separate scale but later downgraded this to 7.8.

Source: Agence France-Presse

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