Major Earthquake Magnitude 7.3 Loyalty Islands New Caledonia 04/09/08

by Vinny | April 9, 2008 at 09:09 am | 1757 views | 7 comments

Note: Magnitudes can change as data is revised the latest magnitudes for the strong earthquakes are: 6.4,6.3,7.3 and 6.0.

Update: 4.51pm GMT

The USGS are now reporting 4 strong earthquakes of 6 magnitude or above, they are reporting a 6.3 10 minutes after the 6.4. M 6.3, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia

Update: 4.39pm GMT

Another aftershock. M 5.1, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia

A series of earthquakes has rocked an area of the South Pacific, the strongest being a 7.3 magnitude Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

At least 7 earthquakes of magnitude 5.0 or greater have occurred in the last 12 hours, according to the USGS website.

Update: 3.06pm GMT

3rd strong earthquake.

M 6.2, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia
17 minutes ago

Wednesday, April 9, 2008 14:47:52 UTC
Thursday, April 10, 2008 01:47:52 AM at epicenter

Depth: 62.00 km (38.53 mi)

Update: 2.51pm GMT

This news is just starting to show on other news sites I will add more information as I find it, if any members have any news please feel free to add it in the comments.

Update: 2.28pm GMT

The USGS are now reporting the stongest quake as a 7.3 not 7.5 and there has been another aftershock measuring 5.4.

Earlier there was a strong magnitude 6.4 and a moderate 5.9 earthquake in the same area,there has also been a 5.2 aftershock since the 7.5 quake. The 7.5 earthquake is the largest in the world so far this year.

April 9 (Bloomberg) -- The Pacific islands of Vanuatu and New Caledonia were shaken by a magnitude-7.5 earthquake, the largest temblor in the world so far this year, prompting a warning of a possible local tsunami.

M 7.5, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia
21 minutes ago

Wednesday, April 9, 2008 12:46:18 UTC
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 11:46:18 PM at epicenter

Depth: 88.50 km (54.99 mi)

Earthquake Details
Magnitude
7.5
Date-Time
Wednesday, April 09, 2008 at 12:46:18 UTC
Wednesday, April 09, 2008 at 11:46:18 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
20.208°S, 168.808°E
Depth
88.5 km (55.0 miles)
Region
LOYALTY ISLANDS
Distances
85 km (55 miles) SSW of Isangel, Tanna, Vanuatu175 km (110 miles) NE of Tadine, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia275 km (170 miles) S of PORT-VILA, Efate, Vanuatu1800 km (1120 miles) ENE of BRISBANE, Queensland, Australia
Location Uncertainty
horizontal +/- 7.6 km (4.7 miles); depth +/- 22.6 km (14.0 miles)
Parameters
NST=139, Nph=139, Dmin=>999 km, Rmss=1.1 sec, Gp= 61°,M-type=moment magnitude (Mw), Version=7
Source
USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID
us2008qqa2

Earthquake Details
Magnitude
6.4
Date-Time
Wednesday, April 09, 2008 at 11:13:26 UTC
Wednesday, April 09, 2008 at 10:13:26 PM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location
20.253°S, 168.694°E
Depth
79.7 km (49.5 miles)
Region
LOYALTY ISLANDS
Distances
100 km (60 miles) SW of Isangel, Tanna, Vanuatu165 km (100 miles) NNE of Tadine, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia280 km (175 miles) S of PORT-VILA, Efate, Vanuatu1785 km (1110 miles) ENE of BRISBANE, Queensland, Australia
Location Uncertainty
horizontal +/- 7.5 km (4.7 miles); depth +/- 19.1 km (11.9 miles)
Parameters
NST=116, Nph=116, Dmin=>999 km, Rmss=0.85 sec, Gp=101°,M-type=moment magnitude (Mw), Version=7
Source
USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID
us2008qqax

NO DESTRUCTIVE WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS BASED ON HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DATA. HOWEVER - EARTHQUAKES OF THIS SIZE SOMETIMES GENERATE LOCAL TSUNAMIS THAT CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS LOCATED WITHIN A HUNDRED KILOMETERS OF THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES IN THE REGION OF THE EPICENTER SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION.