Strong quake hits off the Solomon Islands, no tsunami alert

Strong quake hits off the Solomon Islands, no tsunami alert

2011-03-07 08:01:28 GMT+7 (ICT)

HONIARA, SOLOMON ISLANDS (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific Ocean on late Monday morning, seismologists said, but no damage or casualties were reported.

The 6.6-magnitude earthquake at 11.09 a.m. local time (0009 GMT) was centered about 129 kilometers (80 miles) west of Kirakira on Makira Island of the Solomon Islands, which consists of nearly 1,000 islands. It struck about 30 kilometers (19 miles) deep, making it a deep earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The USGS estimated that approximately 4,000 people may have perceived strong shaking that could potentially result in light to moderate damage. Another 403,000 people were estimated to having perceived light to moderate shaking.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties as a result of the earthquake, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no threat of a tsunami. "No destructive widespread tsunami threat exists based on historical earthquake and tsunami data," the center said in a bulletin.

The Solomon Islands are 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.

The Solomon Islands arc as a whole experiences a very high level of earthquake activity, and many shocks of magnitude 7 and larger have been recorded since the early decades of the twentieth century.

On April 2, 2007, a massive 8.1-magnitude earthquake struck close to the New Georgia Islands of the Solomon Islands. It unleashed a regional tsunami, killing 52 people and destroying some 300 homes, schools and a hospital at Sasamunga. Two people were killed as a result of landslides, which were triggered by the earthquake.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-03-07