Vanuatu Earthquake May 28 2010: Tsunami Warning Canceled (Map)

by Amy Judd | May 27, 2010 at 11:01 am

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A Shallow 7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Has Struck Off the Coast of Vanuatu and Prompted a Tsunami Warning that has Now Been Canceled

According to the National Weather Service, on Friday May 28 at 4:14am local time (May 27 17:15 UTC), a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Vanuatu (map). The epicenter of the earthquake was only located about 36 kilometres below the surface, and 214 kilometers north-west of Luganville and 2,070 kilometres northeast of Brisbane Australia.

A tsunami warning was issued for the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and Vanuatu, but has since been canceled.

There were also a 5.7 magnitude aftershock about 35 kilometres under the seabed.

"It is not known that a tsunami was generated," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said. "This warning is based only on the earthquake evaluation.

"An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicentre within minutes to hours.