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Solomon Islands earthquake: Tsunami warning after magnitude 7.7 quake strikes Pacific Ocean Solomon Islands earthquake: Tsunami warning for Hawaii after magnitude 7.7 quake strikes Pacific Ocean
(35 minutes later)
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake has struck the Solomon Islands, sparking a warning for "hazardous tsunami waves".A magnitude 7.7 earthquake has struck the Solomon Islands, sparking a warning for "hazardous tsunami waves".
The quake hit shortly after 5.30pm GMT, with the epicentre recorded off the coast of Makira island at a depth of 30 miles (48.7km). The quake hit shortly after 5.30pm GMT, with the epicentre recorded off the coast of Makira island at a depth of 30 miles (48.7km).
“Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within the next three hours along some coasts of Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, New Caledonia, Tuvalu and Kosrae,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.  “Hazardous tsunami waves from this earthquake are possible within the next three hours along some coasts of the Solomon Islands, Hawaii, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Nauru, New Caledonia, Tuvalu and Kosrae,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. 
A warning said an investigation was underway to determine which areas could be affected by the waves, which "could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicentre".
Hawaii is under tsunami watch, the lowest level of alert, meaning that the event is not verified. If Hawaii is affected, the estimated arrival of the first wave would be 2.56pm local time on Thursday.
The Earthquake Track website intitially detected a strength of magnitude eight but the US Geological Society later revised the figure to 7.7.The Earthquake Track website intitially detected a strength of magnitude eight but the US Geological Society later revised the figure to 7.7.
More to follow The Solomon Islands are located in the Pacific's geologically active "Ring of Fire", which contains more than 400 volcanoes and fault lines generating frequent quakes.