. Earth Science News .
Tsunami Warnings Cancelled After Tonga Quake

This image released by the US Geological Survey shows the location of an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the open-ended Richter scale that hit the Pacific islands in the Tonga region early 04 May 2006. The USGS called it a "great" quake which struck at 4:26 am local time (1526 GMT) in the middle of the islands that make up Tonga. The epicenter was 155 kilometers (95 miles) south of Neiafu island and 160 km (100 miles) northeast of Nuku'Alofa, the main island, the US monitoring centre said. The quake was recorded 16 kilometers (10 miles) below the surface. Photo courtesy of USGS, HO, Getty Out and AFP.
by Staff Writers
Los Angeles (AFP) May 04, 2006
Tsunami warnings for New Zealand, Fiji and the rest of the Pacific have been cancelled following a massive 8.0 quake in Tonga, US tsunami monitors said Wednesday. "The tsunami warning has been cancelled for the entire Pacific region," said geophysicist Vindel Hsu of the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. "There is no danger at this moment," he added.

The tsunami center had issued a tsunami warning for New Zealand and the islands of Fiji and also issued a tsunami alert for the rest of the Pacific Ocean following the temblor that struck at 4:26 am local time Thursday (1526 GMT Wednesday).

But apart from a small tsunami generated off the Pacific islands of Niue and Pago Pago, a local wave measuring just half meter (1.65 foot) detected near the quake's epicenter, no tsunami activity was recorded, Hsu said.

The US Geological Survey said the quake measured a magnitude 8.0 on its scale. The Pacific Tsunami center originally said it was an 8.0 on its separate scale but later downgraded this to 7.8.

Source: Agence France-Presse

Related Links
-

New Lava Dome Keeps Expanding At Indonesias Mount Merapi
Jakarta (AFP) May 04, 2006
A fresh lava dome at the peak of Indonesia's trembling Mount Merapi continued to expand Wednesday, suggesting an eruption that would send heatclouds down its slopes, a scientist warned Wednesday.







  • Indians At Risk In Afghanistan
  • Pacific Tsunami Alert System Tests To Start Mid-May
  • Bush Contributed To Extent Of Katrina Aftermath Says Senator Lieberman
  • Humanitarian Aid Readied For Russian Quake Region

  • Dutch Study Sheds Light On Climate Change's Threat To Birds
  • Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increased In 2005
  • Canada To Spend 2 Billion Dollars To Fight Global Warming
  • Tibetan Glacier Melt Leading To Sandstorms In China

  • Mitretek Joins Alliance For Earth Observations
  • STEREO Spacecraft Moved To Kennedy For Launch Prep
  • A View Of Urban Sprawl From Outer Space
  • China Successfully Launches Remote Sensing Satellite

  • Oil prices near 74 dollars on Bolivia, Iran fears
  • UN Meeting Focuses On Long-Term Energy Solutions
  • Researchers Focus On Spacecraft Power Storage
  • Chinese Oil Safari Hits Nigeria

  • US Bird Flu Toll Could Be As High As 2 Million
  • H5N1 Adapts To Summer, Water, Heat
  • AIDS Cocktail Could Be Soon Down To Just One Pill
  • China Reports 18th Human Case Of Bird Flu

  • Hunter Shoots Rare Grizzly-Polar Bear Cross In Canada
  • Mobile DNA Part Of Evolution's Toolbox
  • Threatened Plant And Animal Species Exceed 16,000
  • South Africa Wants To Clamp Down On Hunting

  • Pollution Slowly Choking North China's Largest Lake To Death
  • 50 Years On, Echoes Of Tragic Past Haunt Japan's Minamata City
  • Pollution In Far East Russian River 30 Times Above Norm
  • A Radioactive Wildlife Reserve In Chernobyl's No-Go Zone

  • Monkey Business Equals Human Business
  • Hormones May Affect How Brain Listens
  • New Research Reveals Australians Too Busy For Lunch
  • Ancient Volcano, Seeds And Tree Rings Rewrite Late Bronze 'Med' History

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement