© Agence France-Presse/Nicolas AsfouriA powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the western Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Sunday, triggering a small tsunami exactly six years after giant waves killed 220,000 people around the Indian Ocean.
A powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck off the western Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Sunday, triggering a small tsunami exactly six years after giant waves killed 220,000 people around the Indian Ocean.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the shallow quake generated a tsunami, but it cancelled a regional warning after the wave measured only 15 centimetres (six inches) higher than normal in Vanuatu.
"Sea level readings confirm that a tsunami was generated," the centre said in its bulletin.
"This tsunami may have been destructive along coastlines of the region near the earthquake epicentre," it said, but cancelled the warning when no destructive wave hit.
The quake struck at 12:16 am on Sunday (1316 GMT Saturday), and the initial tsunami warning covered Vanuatu, Fiji and the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia. There were no reports of damage or casualties.
Comment: The Sott editors received an e-mail today from a reader who lives near the epicenter of the earthquake:
Having recently re-read "Secret History" and Laura's series on comets and asteroids I thought you might be interested.
We live approx. 20 miles from what is being described of the epicenter of the small ( initial news reports placed it at 4.2 and then dropped it to 3.8 ) earthquake in central Indiana at about 7:55 this morning, 12/30/10.
The "quake" was immediately preceded ( approx. 3 to 4 seconds ) by the sound of an explosion. My wife and several others, according to reports on local news stations thought something had either exploded,run in to or fallen on their homes. Our trash service was in front of our house at the time and my wife thought maybe the truck had somehow hit our house and as she went to check the shaking started. Having read Laura's work I just thought this might be of interest to the SOTT team. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Thanks for your time,
Kelly W.
Noblesville ,IN