Tsunami waves spotted off New Cal, Vanuatu

Tsunami waves spotted off New Cal, Vanuatu

Tsunami waves have been observed after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean around the Loyalty Islands, nearby the island regions of New Caledonia and Vanuatu.

Per RT, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) reported the sighting of tsunami waves following the quake, which was centred 82km east-northeast of Tadine, on Mare Island, with the epicentre 10km deep.

The PTWC has warned in a statement, that “based on the preliminary earthquake parameters…hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 300km of the earthquake epicenter”.

The PTWC warning confirmed that this warning applies to the coasts of both New Caledonia and Vanuatu.It later issued a message saying tsunami waves “have been observed.”PTWC added, “Based on all available data…hazardous tsunami waves are forecast for some coasts.

“Tsunami waves reaching 0.3 to 1 metres above the tide level are possible for some coasts of New Caledonia. Tsunami waves are forecast to be less than 0.3 metres above the tide level for the coasts of Vanuatu.”

The PTWC claimed additional waves may roll in at intervals of five minutes to an hour, and may be higher than the initial ones.

Advice for those in areas potentially under threat were to “stay alert for information” and “follow instructions from national and local authorities”.

The initial quake was followed minutes later by a 5.1-magnitude tremor, some 14 km closer to shore and at the same depth.

The 7.0 quake is one of the strongest in a recent string of tremors in the area, and per RT,  the USGS has reported 126 mostly shallow earthquakes of varying magnitudes since the end of October. However, unlike this incident, tsunami waves have not been detected before.

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