Categorized | Earthquake, News

Strong quake in Papua New Guinea, no tsunami threat

TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT NUMBER 1
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
1747 UTC THU MAR 8 2018

...PTWC TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT...

PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE PARAMETERS
---------------------------------

  * MAGNITUDE      7.0
  * ORIGIN TIME    1740 UTC MAR 8 2018
  * COORDINATES    4.3 SOUTH  153.4 EAST
  * DEPTH          10 KM / 6 MILES
  * LOCATION       NEW IRELAND REGION  PAPUA NEW GUINEA


EVALUATION
----------

  * AN EARTHQUAKE WITH A PRELIMINARY MAGNITUDE OF 7.0 OCCURRED IN
    THE NEW IRELAND REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA AT 1740 UTC ON
    THURSDAY MARCH 8 2018.

  * BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA... THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT
    FROM THIS EARTHQUAKE.


RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
-------------------

  * NO ACTION IS REQUIRED.

USGS: How large does an earthquake have to be to cause a tsunami?

Magnitudes below 6.5
Earthquakes of this magnitude are very unlikely to trigger a tsunami.

Magnitudes between 6.5 and 7.5
Earthquakes of this size do not usually produce destructive tsunamis. However, small sea level changes may be observed in the vicinity of the epicenter. Tsunamis capable of producing damage or casualties are rare in this magnitude range but have occurred due to secondary effects such as landslides or submarine slumps.

Magnitudes between 7.6 and 7.8
Earthquakes of this size may produce destructive tsunamis especially near the epicenter; at greater distances small sea level changes may be observed. Tsunamis capable of producing damage at great distances are rare in the magnitude range.

Magnitude 7.9 and greater
Destructive local tsunamis are possible near the epicenter, and significant sea level changes and damage may occur in a broader region.

Note that with a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, the probability of an aftershock with a magnitude exceeding 7.5 is not negligible. To date, the largest aftershock recorded has been magnitude 7.1 that did not produce a damaging tsunami.

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