What a Tsunami Looks Like

An 8.0 earthquake near the Solomon Islands has caused a tsunami warning in the South Pacific.

Here's what it looks like.

No Tsuanmi in South Pacific

A tsunami sparked by a powerful 7.6-magitude quake failed to materialise on New Zealand's shores, but Civil Defence says people should expect high tides within the next 24 hours.

The quake struck at 7.03am (NZT) at a depth of 20km, according to the US Geological Service. It was felt in Wellington and parts of the East Coast of the North Island.

It was originally reported to be magnitude 7.8 at a depth of 48km but USGS has revised it to magnitude 7.6.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu said a tsunami had been generated and could be around a metre high when it arrives at New Zealand.

The USGS said tsunamis had already struck the Kermadec Islands and Raoul Island this morning. The waves were 68cm and 84cm high before adding it had issued a tsunami warning for New Zealand, affecting East Cape, North Cape, Gisborne and Auckland.

However, the Pacific Warning Centre based in Hawaii called off its tsunami warning after the 7.6 earthquake in the Kermadecs before the Civil Defence did.

Tsunami Warning in Affect for 20 Countries

The threat of a tsunami prompted the U.S. National Weather Service to issue a warning for at least 20 countries and numerous Pacific islands after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake struck Japan Friday.

The wide-ranging list includes Russia and Indonesia, Central American countries like Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica and the U.S. state of Hawaii. The weather service's bulletin is intended "as advice to government agencies."

The strongest quake in Japan in at least a century struck at 2:46 p.m. local time 81 miles off the coast of Sendai, north of Tokyo. Buildings shook in the capital, and television footage showed a wave of water as high as 10 meters engulfing farmhouses and roads along the coast. Fires broke out in an oil plant and buildings in Tokyo.

Waves traveling as fast as 800 kilometers an hour may be radiating from the epicenter, sparking warnings in countries that lie in their path. The quake is the strongest since a 9.1 magnitude earthquae off North Sumatra in Indonesia in December 2004 left about 220,000 people dead or missing in 12 countries around the Indian Ocean.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warned that the tsunami is currently higher than some Pacific islands which it could wash over.

Hawaii is possibly in the path of a tsunami.  The tsunami warning issued late on Thursday for Hawaii prompted civil defense officials to order all Hawaiian coastal areas evacuated. The warning said that all islands in the Hawaiian chain were in the path of potential damage from a tsunami generated by the quake.



7.2 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Japan

An earthquake of 7.2 magnitude has struck off the coast of Japan, shaking buildings in the capital, Tokyo.

The tremor was centred 160 km (100 miles) east of the country's main Honshu island.

A tsunami alert for waves of up to 50 cm was issued for northeast Japan, after the quake hit at 0245 GMT.

Also of note, Tohoku Electric Power said its Onagawa nuclear plant was operating normally after the quake. Tokyo Electric Power also said there was no impact on its power plants in the region.  20% of the world's earthquakes of greater than 6.2 magnitude occur in this region.