A
7.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Solomon Islands on
Saturday, the US Geological Survey said, but the threat of a Pacific
tsunami in the tremor-prone region was thought to have mostly passed.
The
shallow tremor was centred about 78 kilometres (48 miles)
west-northwest of Lata in the Solomon Islands and about 583 kilometres
from the capital Honiara, it said, after revising it down from an
initial estimate of 7.5.
Geoscience
Australia, which estimated the quake at 7.3-magnitude, said it was
possible that a local tsunami could have been generated within several
hundred kilometres (miles) of the jolt.
But
the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, which said its
estimate on the quake’s size was 6.9, said that based on all data
available “the tsunami threat from this earthquake has now mostly
passed”.
“Minor
sea level fluctuations of up to 0.3 metres above and below the normal
tide may continue over the next few hours,” it added.
The
Solomons are part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, a zone of tectonic
activity known for its frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
“It’s large but it’s not the largest,” Geoscience’s Eddie Leask told AFP of Saturday’s quake.
“The main risk is obviously the earthquake shaking. This is an area which regularly experiences these throughout history.”
In
2013, the Solomons were hit by a tsunami after an 8.0-magnitude quake,
leaving at least 10 people dead and thousands homeless after buildings
were destroyed
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