This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/12/tsunami-warning-after-strong-quake-off-solomon-islands-coast

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Tsunami alert after strong earthquake hits off Solomon Islands coast No damage reported from magnitude 7.6 quake off Solomon Islands
(about 1 hour later)
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck near the Solomon Islands on Sunday morning with enough force to generate a tsunami warning for the immediate surrounding area, according to US government agencies. A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck near the Solomon Islands on Sunday morning, triggering a tsunami warning that was later cancelled, according to US government agencies, and there were no immediate reports of damage.
A tsunami warning was issued for the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, said the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre. An earlier tsunami watch for Fiji, Australia, Indonesia and nearby areas was cancelled after the earthquake was revised down from its original magnitude of 8.3. The quake was centred 60 miles south of Kira Kira on the island of Makira at a depth of 18 miles, according to the US Geological Survey.
While a magnitude 7.0 earthquake is capable of causing widespread destruction, there were no immediate reports of damage. "So far we have received no reports of damage," said constable Taylor Fugo from Kira Kira police. "The people responded very well to the (tsunami) warning. They all went up the hills and have been watching and waiting for advice."
The quake was 60 miles (100 km) south of Kira Kira in the Solomon Islands at a depth of 18 miles (29 km), according to the US Geological Survey. A tsunami warning for the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu was cancelled after only very small tsunami wave activity, just a couple of centimetres, had been measured at two reading stations near the epicentre, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.
An earlier tsunami watch for Fiji, Australia, Indonesia and nearby areas was cancelled after the earthquake was revised down from its original magnitude of 8.3.
A series of aftershocks followed the quake, the strongest a magnitude 5.9, hit the region shortly afterwards, the USGS said.
The Solomon Islands straddles the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire," a highly seismically active zone where different plates on the earth's crust meet and create a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.
A powerful 8.0 magnitude quake in 2013 in a similar area generated a local tsunami that killed at least five people.