Strong quake strikes off Vanuatu, no tsunami threat

[News_Editor]

Strong quake strikes off Vanuatu, no tsunami threat

2010-12-29 15:33:59 GMT+7 (ICT)

ISANGEL, VANUATU (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck off the Vanuatu Islands on late Wednesday afternoon, seismologists said, but no tsunami warnings were issued.

The 6.6-magnitude earthquake at 5.54 p.m. local time (0654 GMT) was centered approximately 115 kilometers (70 miles) west of Isangel, a city on the Vanuatu island of Tanna. It struck about 31 kilometers (19.3 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The agency estimated that approximately 9,000 people may have perceived 'moderate' shaking, which could result in light damage. Some 71,000 others were estimated to having perceived light shaking.

No tsunami warnings were issued by either local authorities or the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. "No destructive widespread tsunami threat exists based on historical earthquake and tsunami data," the warning center said in an information bulletin.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, and the earthquake is believed to be an aftershock to a powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake which struck the region on early Sunday morning. It generated a small tsunami, but caused no damage or casualties.

Vanuatu is on the so-called 'Pacific Ring of Fire', an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent and large earthquakes. Volcanic eruptions also occur frequently in the region.

Most recently, on October 25, a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck just off the Mentawai Islands off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. As a result, a wall of water killed at least 435 people on the islands and impacted more than 20 villages.

And on December 26, 2004, one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded struck off the west coast of Sumatra. The 9.1-magnitude earthquake unleashed a deadly tsunami, striking scores of countries. In all, at least 227,898 people were killed.

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