A rare 347.7 miles (559.57 kilometres) deep but away from the islands so no tsunami warning. ~ BP
Powerful magnitude 8.2 earthquake strikes in the Pacific near Tonga and Fiji
A powerful magnitude 8.2 earthquake struck in the Pacific Ocean close to the islands of Tonga and Fiji on Sunday, the US Geological Survey (USGC) said.
But the undersea quake was too deep to trigger a tsunami, according to the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which added that small tsunami waves have been observed but no damage reported. There were no reports of casualties.
“I would not expect any damage. People will feel it but it’s so deep that I would not expect any damage,” USGS geophysicist Jana Pursley told Reuters.
A Civil Defense spokesman said there was no tsunami threat to New Zealand following the quake.
The quake hit at a depth of 347.7 miles (559.57 kilometres) and was initially reported as magnitude 8.0 before being revised up to 8.2 by the USGC. No casualties are expected based on initial readings.
The epicentre was 167 miles (270 kilometres) east of Levuka on Fiji’s Ovalau Island and 275 miles (443 kilometres) west of Neiafu in Tonga, a town with a population of around 6,000 people.
There have been a number of quakes in the Tonga-Fiji area recently. Interestingly enough, there was a moderate 4.4 on Tonga on August 18, 2017. Exactly a year ago to the day. What are the chances?
They knew that massive 8.2 at a depth I’ve never heard of would cause an energy transfer and another quake and anticipated it would be along the coast of South America, so keep watching.
The area in Indonesia below gets hit often because it’s in a seismically active zone, and this was one of many that took lives and caused a lot of damage. The 6.3 also caused a landslide.
Magnitude 6.3 earthquake hits Indonesia’s Lombok island
August 18, 2018
We just got news of this second one so no details are available yet. The image below says it was a 7.0 magnitude. ~ BP
August 19, 2018
6.9-magnitude earthquake strikes off Lombok island in Indonesia, the 2nd in less than a day
A new powerful earthquake has hit some 120 km away from Indonesian island of Lombok in half a day after another jolt. The island has sustained a series of earthquakes recently, which killed over 400 people.
