7.6 Earthquake in South Pacific/Solomon Islands

[Clarkie1]

Source: USGS


http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2007/us2007aqbk/

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/region/Australia.php



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

[kaneko]

1. Solomon Islands

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4013314a12.html

[Forkboy]

2. Another place to keep track of current earthquake and other disaster events..

http://visz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert.php?lang=eng

[Forkboy]

3. Low severity tsunami warnings up...

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/messages.php

[alfredo]

4. I am tracking it using GEE (Global Earthquake Explorer)

http://www.seis.sc.edu/gee/

I think they are having an aftershock right now.

[bananas]

23. Cool, that'll be great to use on Friday

you'll be able to track the nukes falling on Iran.
(Or whenever it happens, if it happens...)

[alfredo]

26. I hope nothing like that happens. Why this Friday?

[bananas]

29. That's the rumor.

"Russian Intelligence: U.S. ready to strike Iran on Good Friday"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x554138

"April 6 sneak attack by US forces against Iran planned, Russian military sources warn"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x514538

[alfredo]

34. bush and cheney would be driven from office.

[pscot]

5. Major pacific earthquake reported

Source: Fox news

An earthquake reported as being of 7.6 to 8.1 magnitude has occured nar the Solomon Islands. Tsunamis have been reported.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,263141,00.html

[keopeli]

6. First, here's an alternative link to Faux. Second, only an unconfirmed 6"tsunami has been reported.

Why link to Faux? This could be big or small, but as of 4:15 PM PDT, no major tsunami spotted.

Earthquake Near Solomon Islands Sparks Tsunami Alert

Bloomberg link


April 2 (Bloomberg) -- An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck near the coast of the Solomon Islands, spurring a tsunami warning for Australia, Indonesia and South Pacific island nations.

The quake occurred at 7:39 a.m. Solomon Islands time, 45 kilometers (25 miles) south southeast of the coastal settlement of Gizo, in the New Georgia archipelago and 345 kilometers west northwest of the capital, Honiara, at a depth of 10 kilometers, the U.S. Geological Survey said in an e-mailed alert.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami alert for the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Nauru, Chuuk, New Caledonia, Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Australia and Indonesia.

Towns and villages were damaged in the Solomon Islands when a tsunami swept ashore, Agence France-Presse reported, citing an unidentified police official, who said there were no reports of casualties. The center said it received reports of a 15- centimeter high wave at Honiara.

[Pithy Cherub]

7. CNN's least talented anchor begs to differ.

Rick Sanchez just said they had reports of a "reaction"/tsunami ocurring on the one of the Solomon Islands. Here in California the Tsunami Bulletin on The Weather Channel says it will stay up until the Pacific Tsunami Center cancels the advisory. :shrug:

[originalpckelly]

13. Next week Rick Sanchez will show us what it's like to be in a tsunami.

:eyes:

[originalpckelly]

10. Tsunami warning center says a tiny tsunami was generated...

but it was only 6 inches.

"Honiara Solomon Island 9.4S 159.9E 2148UTC 0.15M/0.5ft"

http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/message209039-03.htm

[Pithy Cherub]

14. It was much bigger than that

and it left some damage. Because it is in a remote area, an aerial survey will take some time to do because communication is difficult. Rick's saying again that there have been 3 quakes and the 7.6 has been upgraded to 8.0. Damage reports in Giza. Hope there are no casualties.

[smalll]

36. Don't mean to single you out in this thread, but "only" 6 inches?

Six inches is average, people, average! 6 inches is nothing to be ashamed of!

[LiberalEsto]

8. Tsunami reported at Fox News HQ

Rightwing pundits swept away in giant tidal waves sent by fed-up Creator.

"Enough is enough," She proclaims.

April 1, 2007

[Eugene]

9. Tsunami hits South Pacific's Solomons

Source: Associated Press

Tsunami hits South Pacific's Solomons

11 minutes ago

SYDNEY, Australia - A powerful magnitude-7.6 earthquake struck off the
Solomon Islands on Monday, sending a tsunami wave crashing into the
country's west coast and prompting region-wide disaster warnings,
officials said.

Sgt. Godfrey Abiah said police in the capital, Honiara, reported a wave
several yards high had crashed ashore in the western town of Gizo shortly
before communication lines with the region were cut.

Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070401/ap_on_re_au_an/south_pacific_earthquake

[originalpckelly]

11. WOW! Someone needs to tell the Tsunami warning center!

I just posted their alert and it was waaaaaay off. Said it was only 6 inches, obviously, that's not as big as witnessed.

[originalpckelly]

12. Wrong center, the Pacific Center has a warning and a watch:

http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/messages/pacific/2007/pacific.2007.04.01.222651.txt

TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 003
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 2239Z 01 APR 2007

THIS BULLETIN IS FOR ALL AREAS OF THE PACIFIC BASIN EXCEPT
ALASKA - BRITISH COLUMBIA - WASHINGTON - OREGON - CALIFORNIA.

NOTE: AREAS TO THE NORTH OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS SHOULD NOT BE SIGNIFICANTLY
AFFECTED

... A TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH REMAIN IN EFFECT ...

A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR

SOLOMON IS. / PAPUA NEW GUINEA / VANUATU / NEW CALEDONIA / NORTHEASTERN
AUSTRALIA / TUVALU / KIRIBATI / FIJI /

A TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR

KERMADEC IS / NEW ZEALAND /

FOR ALL OTHER PACIFIC AREAS, THIS MESSAGE IS AN ADVISORY ONLY.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME - 2040Z 01 APR 2007
COORDINATES - 8.6 SOUTH 157.2 EAST
LOCATION - SOLOMON ISLANDS
MAGNITUDE - 8.1

MEASUREMENTS OR REPORTS OF TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY
HONIARA 15CM ZERO-TO-PEAK OBSERVED AT 21:37 GMT

EVALUATION

SEA LEVEL READINGS INDICATE A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED. IT MAY HAVE
BEEN DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS NEAR THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER AND
COULD ALSO BE A THREAT TO MORE DISTANT COASTS. AUTHORITIES SHOULD
TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THIS POSSIBILITY. THIS
CENTER WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR SEA LEVEL DATA TO DETERMINE THE
EXTENT AND SEVERITY OF THE THREAT.

FOR ALL AREAS - WHEN NO MAJOR WAVES ARE OBSERVED FOR TWO HOURS
AFTER THE ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL OR DAMAGING WAVES HAVE NOT
OCCURRED FOR AT LEAST TWO HOURS THEN LOCAL AUTHORITIES CAN ASSUME
THE THREAT IS PASSED. DANGER TO BOATS AND COASTAL STRUCTURES CAN
CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL HOURS DUE TO RAPID CURRENTS. AS LOCAL
CONDITIONS CAN CAUSE A WIDE VARIATION IN TSUNAMI WAVE ACTION THE
ALL CLEAR DETERMINATION MUST BE MADE BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

ESTIMATED INITIAL TSUNAMI WAVE ARRIVAL TIMES. ACTUAL ARRIVAL TIMES
MAY DIFFER AND THE INITIAL WAVE MAY NOT BE THE LARGEST. THE TIME
BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE TSUNAMI WAVES CAN BE FIVE MINUTES TO ONE HOUR.

LOCATION COORDINATES ARRIVAL TIME
-------------------------------- ------------ ------------
SOLOMON IS. MUNDA 8.4S 157.2E 2039Z 01 APR
FALAMAE 7.4S 155.6E 2103Z 01 APR
PANGGOE 6.9S 157.2E 2120Z 01 APR
HONIARA 9.3S 160.0E 2121Z 01 APR
GHATERE 7.8S 159.2E 2122Z 01 APR
AUKI 8.8S 160.6E 2134Z 01 APR
KIRAKIRA 10.4S 161.9E 2140Z 01 APR
PAPUA NEW GUINE AMUN 6.0S 154.7E 2124Z 01 APR
KIETA 6.1S 155.6E 2133Z 01 APR
RABAUL 4.2S 152.3E 2145Z 01 APR
LAE 6.8S 147.0E 2218Z 01 APR
KAVIENG 2.5S 150.7E 2223Z 01 APR
MADANG 5.2S 146.0E 2241Z 01 APR
PORT MORESBY 9.5S 147.0E 2254Z 01 APR
MANUS IS. 2.0S 147.5E 2259Z 01 APR
WEWAK 3.5S 143.6E 2325Z 01 APR
VANIMO 2.6S 141.3E 2350Z 01 APR
VANUATU ESPERITU SANTO 15.1S 167.3E 2236Z 01 APR
ANATOM IS. 20.2S 169.9E 2322Z 01 APR
NAURU NAURU 0.5S 166.9E 2311Z 01 APR
CHUUK CHUUK IS. 7.4N 151.8E 2329Z 01 APR
NEW CALEDONIA NOUMEA 22.3S 166.5E 2338Z 01 APR
POHNPEI POHNPEI IS. 7.0N 158.2E 2345Z 01 APR
KOSRAE KOSRAE IS. 5.5N 163.0E 2345Z 01 APR
AUSTRALIA CAIRNS 16.7S 145.8E 2349Z 01 APR
BRISBANE 27.2S 153.3E 0033Z 02 APR
SYDNEY 33.9S 151.4E 0114Z 02 APR
GLADSTONE 23.8S 151.4E 0139Z 02 APR
MACKAY 21.1S 149.3E 0144Z 02 APR
HOBART 43.3S 147.6E 0245Z 02 APR
INDONESIA JAYAPURA 2.4S 140.8E 2354Z 01 APR
WARSA 0.6S 135.8E 0037Z 02 APR
MANOKWARI 0.8S 134.2E 0056Z 02 APR
SORONG 0.8S 131.1E 0125Z 02 APR
BEREBERE 2.5N 128.7E 0144Z 02 APR
PATANI 0.4N 128.8E 0158Z 02 APR
GEME 4.8N 126.8E 0202Z 02 APR
MANADO 1.5N 124.8E 0242Z 02 APR
TARAKAN 3.3N 117.6E 0400Z 02 APR
SINGKAWANG 1.0N 108.8E 1240Z 02 APR
PANGKALPINANG 2.0S 106.2E 1547Z 02 APR
TUVALU FUNAFUTI IS. 7.9S 178.5E 2359Z 01 APR
KIRIBATI TARAWA IS. 1.5N 173.0E 0007Z 02 APR
KANTON IS. 2.8S 171.7W 0121Z 02 APR
CHRISTMAS IS. 2.0N 157.5W 0325Z 02 APR
MALDEN IS. 3.9S 154.9W 0336Z 02 APR
FLINT IS. 11.4S 151.8W 0408Z 02 APR
MARSHALL IS. KWAJALEIN 8.7N 167.7E 0022Z 02 APR
MAJURO 7.1N 171.4E 0028Z 02 APR
ENIWETOK 11.4N 162.3E 0037Z 02 APR
GUAM GUAM 13.4N 144.7E 0035Z 02 APR
FIJI SUVA 18.1S 178.4E 0038Z 02 APR
N. MARIANAS SAIPAN 15.3N 145.8E 0041Z 02 APR
YAP YAP IS. 9.5N 138.1E 0048Z 02 APR
HOWLAND-BAKER HOWLAND IS. 0.6N 176.6W 0057Z 02 APR
WALLIS-FUTUNA WALLIS IS. 13.2S 176.2W 0100Z 02 APR
BELAU MALAKAL 7.3N 134.5E 0103Z 02 APR
TOKELAU NUKUNONU IS. 9.2S 171.8W 0119Z 02 APR
KERMADEC IS RAOUL IS. 29.2S 177.9W 0131Z 02 APR
SAMOA APIA 13.8S 171.8W 0135Z 02 APR
NEW ZEALAND NORTH CAPE 34.4S 173.3E 0138Z 02 APR
EAST CAPE 37.5S 178.5E 0214Z 02 APR
AUCKLAND(W) 37.1S 174.2E 0238Z 02 APR
GISBORNE 38.7S 178.0E 0247Z 02 APR
MILFORD SOUND 44.5S 167.8E 0249Z 02 APR
NEW PLYMOUTH 39.1S 174.1E 0310Z 02 APR
NAPIER 39.5S 176.9E 0316Z 02 APR
WESTPORT 41.8S 171.2E 0332Z 02 APR
AUCKLAND(E) 36.7S 175.0E 0332Z 02 APR
WELLINGTON 41.5S 174.8E 0333Z 02 APR
BLUFF 46.6S 168.3E 0351Z 02 APR
NELSON 41.3S 173.3E 0426Z 02 APR
LYTTELTON 43.6S 172.7E 0439Z 02 APR
DUNEDIN 45.9S 170.5E 0506Z 02 APR
MARCUS IS. MARCUS IS. 24.3N 154.0E 0138Z 02 APR
WAKE IS. WAKE IS. 19.3N 166.6E 0141Z 02 APR
AMERICAN SAMOA PAGO PAGO 14.3S 170.7W 0144Z 02 APR
TONGA NUKUALOFA 21.0S 175.2W 0152Z 02 APR
NIUE NIUE IS. 19.0S 170.0W 0209Z 02 APR
COOK ISLANDS PUKAPUKA IS. 10.8S 165.9W 0212Z 02 APR
PENRYN IS. 8.9S 157.8W 0316Z 02 APR
RAROTONGA 21.2S 159.8W 0324Z 02 APR
PHILIPPINES DAVAO 6.8N 125.7E 0215Z 02 APR
LEGASPI 13.2N 124.0E 0248Z 02 APR
ZAMBOANGA 7.0N 122.2E 0256Z 02 APR
PALANAN 17.1N 122.6E 0307Z 02 APR
LAOAG 18.2N 120.6E 0352Z 02 APR
PUERTO PRINCESA 9.8N 119.0E 0404Z 02 APR
SAN FERNANDO 16.6N 120.3E 0421Z 02 APR
ILOILO 10.8N 122.8E 0438Z 02 APR
MANILA 14.5N 120.8E 0517Z 02 APR
JARVIS IS. JARVIS IS. 0.4S 160.1W 0256Z 02 APR
PALMYRA IS. PALMYRA IS. 6.3N 162.4W 0300Z 02 APR
JOHNSTON IS. JOHNSTON IS. 16.7N 169.5W 0308Z 02 APR
JAPAN KATSUURA 35.1N 140.3E 0312Z 02 APR
OKINAWA 26.2N 128.0E 0318Z 02 APR
SHIMIZU 32.8N 132.8E 0359Z 02 APR
KUSHIRO 42.8N 144.2E 0410Z 02 APR
HACHINOHE 40.5N 141.8E 0415Z 02 APR
TAIWAN HUALIEN 24.0N 121.8E 0338Z 02 APR
MIDWAY IS. MIDWAY IS. 28.2N 177.4W 0348Z 02 APR
MALAYSIA SANDAKAN 6.0N 118.2E 0424Z 02 APR
BINTULU 3.2N 113.0E 0805Z 02 APR
K TERENGGANU 5.3N 103.2E 1333Z 02 APR

BULLETINS WILL BE ISSUED HOURLY OR SOONER IF CONDITIONS WARRANT.
THE TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL
FURTHER NOTICE.

THE JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY MAY ALSO ISSUE TSUNAMI MESSAGES
FOR THIS EVENT TO COUNTRIES IN THE NORTHWEST PACIFIC AND SOUTH
CHINA SEA REGION. IN CASE OF CONFLICTING INFORMATION... THE
MORE CONSERVATIVE INFORMATION SHOULD BE USED FOR SAFETY.

THE WEST COAST/ALASKA TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER WILL ISSUE BULLETINS
FOR ALASKA - BRITISH COLUMBIA - WASHINGTON - OREGON - CALIFORNIA.

[Kablooie]

15. Currently listed at 8.0. Right offshore one of the islands.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/region/Australia.php

[Eugene]

16. Tsunami causes damage after powerful quake in Solomons

Source: Agence France-Presse

Tsunami causes damage after powerful quake in Solomons

13 minutes ago

HONIARA (AFP) - A tsunami swept ashore causing damage to towns and villages
in the Solomon Islands Monday following a powerful earthquake and there were
unconfirmed reports up to nine people were missing, police said.

The tsunami followed a powerful 7.6 magnitude earthquake in the western New
Georgia Islands region, which had prompted the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre
to issue a tsunami warning for countries in the region.

-snip-

"We have unconfirmed reports of a tsunami washing parts of the most western
end if the Solomons, where two villages ... near Bougainville are reported to
be completely inundated," the spokesman told the Australian Broadcasting
Commission.

He said there were also unconfirmed reports four people were missing after
a landslide in the wake of the quake.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070401/wl_asia_afp/solomonsquaketsunami_070401232929

[appleannie1]

17. READINGS INDICATE A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED.

Source: PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA

MEASUREMENTS OR REPORTS OF TSUNAMI WAVE ACTIVITY
HONIARA 15CM ZERO-TO-PEAK OBSERVED AT 21:37 GMT

EVALUATION

SEA LEVEL READINGS INDICATE A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED. IT MAY HAVE
BEEN DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS NEAR THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER AND
COULD ALSO BE A THREAT TO MORE DISTANT COASTS. AUTHORITIES SHOULD
TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THIS POSSIBILITY. THIS
CENTER WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR SEA LEVEL DATA TO DETERMINE THE
EXTENT AND SEVERITY OF THE THREAT.

Read more: http://www.prh.noaa.gov/ptwc/messages/pacific/2007/pacific.2007.04.01.222651.txt

[fooj]

18. Oh no.

:scared:

[appleannie1]

19. Hopefully it is a

small one.

[veness]

20. k & r. n/t

[MaineDem]

21. Tsunami ravages Solomon Islands

A tsunami has swept ashore in the Solomon Islands following a strong undersea earthquake in the South Pacific Ocean, police said.

A police spokesman told the AFP news agency there were reports of damage, but not yet of casualties.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also issued warnings for Indonesia, Australia and Papua New Guinea, as well as some smaller Pacific islands.

The quake measured 7.6 and hit at 0740 local time on Monday (2040 GMT Sunday).

It struck 345km (215 miles) north-west of the Solomon Islands' capital Honiara, north-east of Australia, the US Geological Survey said, at a depth of 10km (six miles) below the surface.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6516759.stm

[thecrow]

22. reported a wave several yards high had crashed ashore

Tsunami Hits South Pacific's Solomons




Apr 1, 7:41 PM (ET)


(AP) A powerful magnitude-7.6 earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands, sending a tsunami wave crashing...
Full Image


HONIARA, Solomon Islands (AP) - A powerful magnitude-7.6 earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands on Monday, sending a tsunami wave crashing into the country's west coast and prompting region-wide disaster warnings, officials said.

Sgt. Godfrey Abiah said police in the capital, Honiara, reported a wave several yards high had crashed ashore in the western town of Gizo shortly before communication lines with the region were cut.

Julian McLeod of the Solomon Islands National Disaster Management Office said there were unconfirmed reports that two villages in the country's far west were flooded.

"Two villages were reported to have been completely inundated," McLeod told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. "We have received reports of four people missing."


more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070401/D8O846L00.html

EDITED TO ADD THIS SERIOUS NEWS

[krispos42]

33. 15cm= 6 inches n/t

[kineneb]

24. 10 km deep

according to Deutsche Welle, generated 1 km high tsunami near epicenter.

(yup, listening in German to the evening news, 6:00 pm PDT here)

[Esra Star]

25. Really 1000 metres high. I gotta go down to the beach and take

some pix.

[Divine Discontent]

28. scary stuff..

praying they are OK out there...

www.cafepress.com/warisprofitable <<-- check it out, top '08 stuff!

[kineneb]

30. first quake was "shallow", 2nd was 10 km down

that seems to be when the bad tsunamis happen, my thoughts go with those near the epicenter.

[MiniMe]

32. According to CNN, it was 4-5 meters

or 12-15 feet.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/04/01/quake.reut/index.html

[IndianaGreen]

27. As the news comes in, more destruction is revealed

I expect the news to be more grim by morning.

[Forkboy]

31. 3 dead in Gizo,Solomon Islands - Damage rated "Catastrophic"

http://visz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?cid=10636&cat=dis&lang=eng

Japan's NHK television said on Monday that at least three people were reported to have died in the Solomon Islands following a powerful earthquake. NHK quoted a local official, who, speaking by telephone in Gizo, said the 8.1 magnitude quake in the Pacific Ocean caused tidal waves and many houses were destroyed on the coast of Gizo. Three people were found dead in different locations there, he said. A tsunami warning had been issued for the region.

http://visz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?cid=10636&cat=dis&lang=eng

[IndianaGreen]

44. This would get more TV coverage had it been European tourists

with their video cameras that were caught in the tsunami. As it is, the victims are all poor villagers.

[Eugene]

35. Tsunami Hits Solomons; Reports of 8 Dead

Source: Associated Press

Tsunami Hits Solomons; Reports of 8 Dead


Monday April 2, 2007 4:31 AM

AP Photo NYOL790

By EVAN WASUKA

Associated Press Writer

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (AP) - A powerful undersea earthquake Monday in the
South Pacific sent a tsunami several yards high crashing into the Solomon Islands,
devastating at least one village, officials and residents said.

Police and residents said a wave about 10 feet high struck the western town of
Gizo, inundating buildings and causing widespread destruction. A man who
answered the telephone at the Gizo police station said there were initial reports
that eight people, six of them children, had been killed by the tsunami but they
were still unconfirmed. The phone cut out abruptly before the man gave his name.

Gizo resident Judith Kennedy said water “right up to your head” swept through the
town.

“All the houses near the sea were flattened,” she told The Associated Press by
telephone. “The downtown area is a very big mess from the tsunami and the
earthquake,” she added. “A lot of houses have collapsed. The whole town is still
shaking” from aftershocks.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6525924,00.html

[maddezmom]

37. Villages 'wiped out' in huge Solomons quake, tsunami

Villages 'wiped out' in huge Solomons quake, tsunami by Evan Wasuka
51 minutes ago



HONIARA (AFP) - A powerful undersea earthquake unleashed a tsunami that pounded the Solomon Islands early Monday, flattening villages and killing at least six people and sparking scenes of panic, officials said.

Witnesses said the wall of water triggered by the 8.0-magnitude quake was up to five metres (16.5 feet) high and swamped towns, flattened houses and washed away buildings in the west of the archipelago.

"Some villages are completely wiped out," Fred Fakari, the chairman of the Solomons National Disaster Council, told journalists in the capital Honiara.

"Unconfirmed reports have placed the number of dead at about six and I think we are expecting more," Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare told CNN.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070402/wl_asia_afp/solomonsquake_10

[Heidi]

38. Kick.

:kick:

[thecrow]

39. Tsunamiiis Hits South Pacific's Solomons

Source: AP


Tsunami Hits South Pacific's Solomons


Email this Story

Apr 1, 7:41 PM (ET)


(AP) A powerful magnitude-7.6 earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands, sending a tsunami wave crashing...
Full Image


HONIARA, Solomon Islands (AP) - A powerful magnitude-7.6 earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands on Monday, sending a tsunami wave crashing into the country's west coast and prompting region-wide disaster warnings, officials said.

Sgt. Godfrey Abiah said police in the capital, Honiara, reported a wave several yards high had crashed ashore in the western town of Gizo shortly before communication lines with the region were cut.

Julian McLeod of the Solomon Islands National Disaster Management Office said there were unconfirmed reports that two villages in the country's far west were flooded.

"Two villages were reported to have been completely inundated," McLeod told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. "We have received reports of four people missing."


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070401/D8O846L00.html

[Canuckistanian]

40. Map of Solomon Islands showing Gizo

http://worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/au.htm

[Pirate Smile]

41. MSNBC article and graphic:

7.6 earthquake triggers tsunami in Solomons
3 reported dead; temblor under South Pacific; wider warnings rescinded

BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 5 minutes ago

HONIARA, Solomon Islands - A powerful magnitude-7.6 earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands on Monday, sending a tsunami wave crashing into the country’s west coast and prompting region-wide disaster warnings, officials said.

Sgt. Godfrey Abiah said police in the capital, Honiara, reported a wave several yards high had crashed ashore in the western town of Gizo shortly before communication lines with the region were cut.

Julian McLeod of the Solomon Islands National Disaster Management Office said there were unconfirmed reports that two villages in the country’s far west were flooded.

-snip-
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake struck at 7:39 a.m. about 6 miles beneath the sea floor, 217 miles northwest of Honiara.
The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for the Solomon Islands and neighboring Papua New Guinea. It ordered a lower-level “tsunami watch” for other places, including most South Pacific countries. The center said Hawaii’s status could be elevated to warning or watch.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17902526/

[kineneb]

42. just caught the news on Deutsche Welle

tsunami warnings for all the islands in the area and also Austrailia

[Judi Lynn]

43. Tsunami Swamps South Pacific Islands

Tsunami Swamps South Pacific Islands

By SETH MYDANS
Published: April 2, 2007

SINGAPORE, April 2 — A powerful undersea earthquake in the South Pacific early today sent huge tides rolling across low-lying areas of the Solomon Islands, inundating entire villages and causing an unknown number of deaths, local officials reported.

By this afternoon, officials were reporting totals of from 8 to 12 confirmed dead, but they predicted that the toll would rise as more victims were discovered in remote areas or trapped inside ruined buildings.

Tsunami warnings were called off elsewhere after the magnitude 8 earthquake triggered alerts in places as far apart as Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Papua New Guinea and Hawaii.

In threatened coastal areas of Australia, beaches were closed and ferry services suspended until the danger had passed.
(snip/...)

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/02/world/asia/02cnd-tsunami.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[President Kerry]

45. what an awful tragedy

This was made worse by the remoteness of the hit area. Now, 2 days after the fact they're still not sure of the death-toll.

[roamer65]

46. I really don't like all the movement happening on the western edge of the Pacific plate lately.

Makes me think the stress is building up along the eastern edge of it (aka San Andreas fault and the subduction zone in the Northwest US).

[IndianaGreen]

47. Isn't stress reduced after a major earthquake?

Or do you think the Big One has yet to hit?