Strong Earthquake Off Vanuatu Triggers Tsunami Warning, Later Lifted as Threat Passes
The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake at magnitude 6.9, about 197 kilometers west-northwest of Port-Olry, and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the tsunami threat had passed within about an hour, with no immediate reports of damage.
A strong earthquake struck off the coast of Vanuatu early Saturday, setting off a tsunami warning that was lifted about an hour later after the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the threat had passed.
The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake at magnitude 6.9. It struck at 02:31 UTC on October 24, about 197 kilometers west-northwest of Port-Olry, at a depth of 10 kilometers.
Warning issued, then lifted
The warning center’s first message used a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 and said hazardous waves were possible along coasts within 300 kilometers of the epicenter. In a second message, issued at 03:28 UTC, the center revised the magnitude to 6.9 and said the tsunami threat had passed, while noting that minor sea-level fluctuations could still occur near the quake in the hours that followed. The center’s messages are addressed to national authorities, which set local alert levels.
Aftershocks continue, no damage reported at first
Seismic activity kept going after the warning ended. The Associated Press reported a second preliminary magnitude 6.3 earthquake and several aftershocks, and Vanuatu’s Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department catalogue lists later quakes of magnitude 6.0 at 08:56 UTC and 4.9 at 10:37 UTC on October 24.
The Associated Press said in its initial report that there were no immediate reports of damage. That early account is not a full damage assessment for all communities near the quake.
Reporting based on coverage by CrispNG, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and the Associated Press.
