Massive earthquake and Tsunami Santa Cruz Islands (Solomon Islands) - 10 people officially killed, 6 missing - Update February 20

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Overview of the damage, injuries and fatalities

Image courtesy and copyright World Vision

Fatalities:
10 confirmed, 6 missing => 16 fatalities (14 on Ndeni, 2 on Nibanga)
(unconfirmed 17th fatality caused by severe aftershock)

Injuries:
17 injured, all from Ndeni, 11 alone from village Velo

Destroyed houses:
Exact number unknown, at least several hundreds. Most on Ndeni, also a couple on Nibanga and Fenualoa
Also 2 destroyed houses by aftershock

Damage:
724 confirmed damaged homes: 687 on Ndeni (116 in Nea Village), 35 in Nibanga and 2 in Maskelyne Island (Vanuatu). Unknown number in Fenualoa

Tsunami:
20 countries have been hit by tsunami waves of different sizes:
Australia (Wave amplitude: max. 24 cm in Rosslyn Bay), Chile (23 cm in Callao), Costa Rica (4 cm in Quepos), Ecuador (23 cm in Santa Cruz), Fiji (6 cm in Lautoka), France (Frensh Polynesia: 16 cm in Hiva ; New Caledonia: 77 cm in Hienghene), Japan (38 cm in Miyazaki), Kiribati (12 cm in Betio), Marshall Islands (12 cm in Kwarjalein), Mexico (6 cm in Cabo san Lucas), Microesia (2 cm in Yap Island), New Zealand (18 cm in Korotiti Bay), Papua-Newguinea (17 cm on station D55012 BPR), Philippines (4 cm in Legapsi), Russia (10 cm in Severo), Samoa (7 cm in Apia), Solomon Islands (3 Meter in Nela), Tonga (4cm in Nuku'alofa), USA (Alaska: 14 cm in Chignik ; California: 20 cm in Crescent City ; Hawaii: 19 cm in Haleiwa ; Washington: 7 cm in Neah Bay ; American Samoa: 12 cm in Pago Pago ; Marianas: 2 cm in Saipan ; Wake Island: 5 cm) and Vanuatu (33 cm in Port Vila)

Additional Information:
Many thousands (approx. 4000) homeless. Hundreds of rescue people on the Island. 2 ships with food, water, medicine, etc arrive per day. Financial support by many countries, e.g. Australia and NZ. Solomon Islands government is planning the rebuild of all 22(?) destroyed villages.

Important update February 11 00:00 UTC :
- Two boats carrying supplies have landed however communications from the island are still scarce.
- About 590 houses had been destroyed in the Lata region.
- Some were destroyed during the earthquake, and some during the 1.1m tsunami which followed - destroying 20 villages.
- Official death toll has reduced to 10. This is good news.
- Australia has already pledged $250,000 AUD (around 265,000 USD) to the local Red Cross in the Solomons, and has promised more aid. They are going to fund 3 doctors and 3 nurses to fly to Lata.

Update February 10 00:00 UTC : A further 12 houses were destroyed in the M6.8 earthquake that was felt yesterday on Friday. The picture continues to become bleaker with most of the island of Nendo where Lata is situated being affected.
The death toll remains at 13, with over 5000 homeless. The picture will hopefully become clearer with the first rescue and relief ship information that should become available in the coming hours.

Update February 9 12:00 UTC : Amidst continuous, luckily somewhat weaker aftershocks, rescue workers arrived on Ndende island on Saturday. The Red Cross says that food, drinking water and tents are urgently needed to support the thousands of people who became homeless after the tsunami. The very strong aftershocks on Friday made even more damage and some houses who did withstand the M8.0 quake collapsed on Friday.
As cargo planes cannot land on the Lata airstrip, everything has to be carried by boats who take about a day to reach Ndende island. A first rescue and relief ship could finally land on Saturday morning.
A larger ship is expected to arrive with relief goods on Sunday morning local time.
The government of the Solomon Islands is calling on the international scientific community to help them manage the current swarm as the aftershocks are still going on. Steam and water is coming out of cracks on the island.
NGO World Vision, active since long on the Ndende island and in the hard hit Temotu province is getting very upset about the sanitary situation on the island. World Vision is also sending supplies to Ndende by fast patrol boats.

Update 22:29 UTC : Are the aftershocks / earthquakes finally weakening ? For the last several hours the time in between M4.5+ quakes is considerably more than earlier today. Let's hope this will continue for many days enabling rescue and relief agencies to help the homeless and injured.
- The image below shows the focal mechanisms of the many earthquakes. Some are mainly subduction earthquakes, other are transform quakes. The different signs in the indicate the very complex nature of this part of the world.

Image courtesy @CPPGeophysics

Update 17:23 UTC : After all this misery, we might have a little good news. No more M+4.5 aftershocks for more than an hour.

Update 16:30 UTC : Some more details from the World Vision people living at Lata describing the living conditions over there :

- There is currently no power or running water in Lata.
- Coastal wells have been covered by debris or contaminated, water tanks and toilets have been destroyed and the coastal areas are littered with dead fish and poultry.
- In their assessment of two coastal communities in the north-east of Lata, World Vision reported that homes had shifted 5–10 metres and 90 percent had been damaged. Schools and churches have been destroyed or badly damaged.
- In the area of Nela, a small village of 200 people, 95 percent of homes have been washed away.
- For many families, their livelihoods also disappeared in the water, as gardens and fruit trees near the coast were destroyed while the sea is still not safe to allow fishing activities. Health services have also been disrupted by the tidal surge and patients have had to move to higher ground.
- “Access to clean water and sanitation will be critical in the coming days,” said Jeremiah Tabua, Emergency Response Coordinator for World Vision in the Solomon Islands. “The tsunami destroyed clean water sources, ruined food gardens and demolished houses. There are also some fears of another tsunami due to the ongoing aftershocks of the earthquakes.”
- “Debris and water on the runway left behind by the tsunami at the airport in Lata have prevented aid from reaching the people most in need.
- We hope to reach some of the most remote communities by boat,” said Andrew Catford, World Vision’s Country Programme Director in the Solomon Islands. “The supplies we’re bringing include tarpaulins, blankets, water containers, hygiene supplies, baby kits, emergency kits, kitchens sets and mosquito nets.” This will be used to provide immediate relief to up to 3,500 people affected. World Vision will also be providing boats and fuel to government assessment teams as they try to access the remote outer islands where the full impact of the tsunami and earthquake remains unclear.
- “Food distribution is being handled by the National Disaster Management Office who is organizing a shipment of two containers of rice today to assist affected communities. World Vision and partners are also concentrating on water and shelter needs and completing a more thorough assessment of the area, to ensure the full scope of the damage is made clear” said Catford. “It’s a process that could take some time given the number of remote communities in low-lying atolls.”

Update 16:00 UTC : We have just tweeted : Horrifying earthquakes / aftershocks are hitting the Santa Cruz islands (Solomon Islands) - These words are NOT exaggerated. These massive aftershocks are like being in the middle of a war zone. Additionally the epicenters are getting nearer to the Ndende island.
We fear that, due to the type of earthquakes currently raging in the area, the airstrip may have been seriously damaged. Cracks are a possibility.
Reaching the island by boat is not only a big distance which takes a lot of time, but captains do fear these mega-quakes a lot. Their boats, even big boats can land in the top of the palm trees if a big tsunami would strike.
We cannot underestimate the human impact of all this !
- The Australia Armed Forces have send an Hercules airplane to the Solomon islands to help them with the relief and rescue efforts.
- It is currently night in the Solomon Islands.

A NEW M7.0 (preliminary value) hit 13 minutes ago ! And again just south of Ndende, which means that the full shaking energy strikes the island.

Update 15:19 UTC : The situation at Ndende (the tsunami island) gets more and more apocalyptic. A plane carrying the PM and the Press has refused to land on the Lata airport. The debris on the airstrip was cleared, but the pilots REFUSED to land because of the many very strong aftershocks. They said that they were not sure about the condition of the runway. The plane came from Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands who is located approx. 600 km to the North West of Ndende.
How do you think these people seeing the plane going away from the island would have felt ? This is pure horror (we also understand the pilots decision).

A little more about the tectonics in the area :
Large earthquakes are common along the North New Hebrides trench and have mechanisms associated with subduction tectonics (the first M8.0 earthquake), though occasional strike slip earthquakes (today's M6.8 earthquake) occur near the subduction of the D'Entrecasteaux ridge. Within the subduction zone 34 M7.5+ earthquakes have been recorded since 1900.

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Update 12:13 UTC : The (relatively) nearby Tinakula volcano got stressed too after all these shakes. People at the island are reporting that they have heard loud rumblings from that direction. They have however other concerns that looking at the beauty of an erupting volcano. To many of of our readers will this page as an abstract story, but we guarantee you that what has happened since last week is enough to make a disaster movie only by replaying the real facts.

Tinakula volcano - Photo by Donn Tolia, 2002 (Geological Survey of the Solomon Islands, courtesy and copyright of CSIRO)

Very important update 12:53 UTC :
Radio New Zealand, one of the best informed sources on the Solomon Islands, report a few moments ago :
- More than 3000 people are without shelter in the quake and tsunami-hit Santa Cruz island group in Solomon Islands, as significant aftershocks continue.
- The death toll has risen to 10 with the discovery of a child's body in a ditch near Lata airport, with at least five more people missing.
- The Solomons government has declared a state of disaster with officials saying damage on the main island, Ndende, is much worse than first thought, with up to 20 villages swamped in a tsunami generated by the quake.
- The premier of Temotu province, Charles Brown Beu, says the number of homeless is expected to grow as rescuers reach more remote areas.
- Father Brown Beu says people fled again to higher ground after a 6.7 tremor on Friday morning, the largest following Wednesday's 8.0-magnitude earthquake. (This was said BEFORE the latest dramatic aftershock closer to the island).
- He says people need food and water, and most urgently, waterproof shelters.
This "most detailed" article so far is much longer. Please click here to read it in full.
After reading this report, you can imagine why we are calling for the evacuation of the island AND for immediate INTERNATIONAL RESCUE and RELIEF aid.

Update 12:42 UTC : USGS has now decreased the Magnitude data from M7.1 to M6.8. This is a good sign but does not change the danger a lot. This does NOT change our advise to evacuate the island.

Update 12:06 UTC : Earthquake-Report.com calls upon the INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY to act immediately in coordination with the Solomon Islands government. We are sure that the local government cannot handle this crisis any more. Of course you can send the people into the hills and tell them to stay there for a few days or weeks, but this is not a normal human relief effort.

Update 12:03 UTC : Based on the preliminary technical details, this earthquake is from another type than the tsunami one. As far as these preliminary data are right we regard them as good news to NOT generate a tsunami but very bad news as far as shaking values. The epicenter was very near the southern coast of the island. The whole area became unstable now and other fault types earthquakes are being triggered.

Update 11:47 UTC : As we told earlier in this article, the Population of Nemdo is in GREAT DANGER. They should be evacuated to another island as fast as possible. This earthquake swarm is not over yet and generates massive aftershocks/earthquakes. ER is very concerned about this. It is NOT SURE at all that no local tsunami has been generated.
This is a very isolated area in the world and it will take a lot of time before we get to know what exactly happened on the island. The power of this earthquake can level all standing houses on the island. These houses have a high resistance against earthquakes because they are mostly from wood and bamboo. However, if a Tsunami strikes, they have NO resistance at all.

Update 11:41 UTC : The shaking values provided by USGS are extremely grim. This earthquake has an epicenter at ONLY 24 km from Lata ! Expected shaking values are MMI VIII = SEVERE shaking

No widespread Pacific Ocean tsunami does not mean at all that there is no local risk. PWTC always states : HOWEVER - EARTHQUAKES OF THIS SIZE SOMETIMES GENERATE LOCAL TSUNAMIS THAT CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS LOCATED WITHIN
A HUNDRED KILOMETERS OF THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES IN THE REGION OF THE EPICENTER SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION. This says enough !
Additionally, ER wants to stress that these massive earthquakes generate in exceptional cases landslide tsunamis. The deep trench west of the island is an additional treat in this area.

Update 11:26 UTC : New massive aftershock near Santa Cruz Island (Nemdo)
Preliminary value : M7.1 (Source : Pacific Tsunami Center)
NO tsunami warnings or advisories are in effect for this earthquake.

Update February 8 - 00:22 UTC : The aftershocks are becoming a little weaker or should we say less strong. We truly hope that rescuers and relief workers are able to help the Santa Cruz islanders today. Let's hope that the airport will be ready to receive many flights today.

Important update
Very strong aftershock in the Santa Cruz Islands
A very strong aftershock with a preliminary value of M6.8 struck the M8 earthquake zone. Not strong enough for a tsunami and people are now very well prepared for these very strong aftershocks.
Update 09:13 UTC : NOAA just released a report that there will be NO tsunami warning or Watch in the Pacific.
31km (19mi) S of Lata, Solomon Islands
522km (324mi) NNW of Luganville, Vanuatu
663km (412mi) ESE of Honiara, Solomon Islands
793km (493mi) NNW of Port-Vila, Vanuatu
1108km (688mi) N of We, New Caledonia
Update 19:17 UTC : The Magnitude has been updated to M6.6, but the distance to Santa Cruz Island is rather limited. ER does not expect additional damage from this earthquake. The map below is showing in real-time which new earthquakes have occurred.
Update 19:26 UTC : The epicenter of this very strong aftershock is to the south of Nemdo, the island where the fevastating Tsunami struck. Expected shaking intensity is VII : very strong for the western part of the island.
Update 19:33 UTC : The bottom map who also includes the historic earthquakes since the beginning of 2012 looks grimmer and grimmer. Very strong earthquakes occurred at all sides of Nemdo island now. It almost looks like the island has been encircled. ER : Why not moving the population OR to higher ground OR to one of the safer islands ? The area is really unstable and we would not be surprised that even massive earthquakes would occur. If the current earthquakes are striking closer and closer to the island, there will be only a couple of minutes to get to higher ground when another massive aftershock would strike.

Update 17:34 UTC : The New Zealand Government has made $200,000 available for humanitarian supplies and support to the Solomon Islands government assessment teams. Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully says due to the remoteness of the area it might take some time for the Solomon Islands government and relief agencies to gain a full picture of the damage. He says the New Zealand Government will consider additional assistance in due course.

Update 09:22 UTC : Strong to very strong aftershocks keep striking the greater epicenter area. This will probably go on for many more days and even weeks. As this area is the location of the fastest moving tectonic plates in the world (9cm/year), the chance on a major M7+ aftershock cannot be excluded.

Summary February 7, 06:45 UTC:
- 9 people have now been confirmed killed, and many more may be missing in addition. Population estimates are very difficult on these smaller islands and thus more work is required to establish knowledge of the missing people.
- The death toll is expected to rise as many others are missing, and emergency supplies cannot yet be flown into the devastated areas.
- Honiara is around 1.5 days boat ride from Lata. Red Cross is currently working out shelter and water.
- Quite a few animals, pigs and fish and chickens have also been killed.
- Around 4500 people are in need of assistance.
- 13 villages around Lata have been severely affected, and roads to the villages around Lata are covered in debris.
- Two coastal communities in the north-east of Lata, and found homes had shifted 5 to 10 metres and 90% had been damaged. (World Vision)
- Schools and churches had also been badly damaged or destroyed. 4 schools have been confirmed damaged by the PEZA (Philippines Economic Zone Authority)
- It has also been concerned that the water supply to Lata has become contaminated.
- 700 homes have been damaged in addition to 100 collapsed homes.
- Lata Airport is set to reopen tomorrow.

Update 19:22 UTC : Below the seismogram of the M8 earthquake . The red line shows the time of earthquake (seismometer was not located in the Solomon Islands).

Important update 18:08 UTC : Police in the Solomon Islands report that at least six people have been killed, 3 are missing and approx. 100 homes have been destroyed at a little above sea level areas along the coast.
Due to the relatively close distance to the epicenter (in the epicenter area the waves are moving at high speed) the water swell/current arrived already after approx. 5 minutes. Nearly 800 houses were inundated including the low lying airstrip at Lata.

Update 16:22 UTC : Something from the heart : This page is probably the most updated in the world about this earthquake, but Google or Google News are not picking up our updates. Most articles found in "Google News" are less precise, less documented, etc . A pity, that Google, so advanced in technology is not making a difference for constantly updated articles + we really do not want to break this article into 6 pieces.

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Update 16:15 UTC : While we are waiting for more news from the Solomon Islands (current time at the Solomon Islands UTC + 11 or 03:15 AM), a wave propagation map as been build by the WCATWC shortly after the earthquake. GDACS and WCATWC are building their own maps, always interesting to compare. We hope to publish later the real tsunami levels at the different coastal tsunami stations in the Pacific

Update 14:09 UTC : An AP video report which does not say a lot but we give it to you as it reaches us.

Update 12:48 UTC : The following paragraphs are from a World Vision report, a religious NGO very active in Asia and the Pacific. The report was made up before the latest casualty numbers were published. This is the most detailed report of what happened since the earthquake struck ! We know World Vision very well from their relief efforts in other areas of the world and whatever the reason may be, we like their efforts to stay aside the victims of disasters.

At least 100 homes in Lata have been completely destroyed by a one meter sea surge following today's 8.0 earthquake, according to Christian humanitarian organization World Vision. Water and electricity remain down as well. Government officials have confirmed four (in the meantime 6) deaths in the islands, and there are unconfirmed reports that some people and fishing boats may have been swept out to sea by the surge. Lata is a township in the Solomon Islands' Temoto Province that was hardest-hit by Wednesday's quake.
The majority of Lata's population (approximately 4,000 people) - including 20 World Vision staff members - have relocated to central Lata, 150 metres above sea level (ER : these quakes are striking since the end of last week and people do not trust it anymore - They may hold their relocation location for many days or even weeks depending on seismicity).
It appears that most families living in Lata were able to relocate before the sea surge. The tsunami warning for the region has now been lifted but significant tremors are still being felt throughout Temotu Province. World Vision staff in Honiara were on the phone with their colleagues when the earthquake struck at approximately 12:15 p.m. Wednesday. All staff have been identified and are safe.
Early reports throughout the province indicate water is still knee-deep in some areas.
Lata's local airport and four surrounding villages (total population: 800) were also flooded by the surge. Some property damage to low-lying homes is also likely.
"I am currently walking through one community [in Lata], and I'm knee-deep in water," said Jeremiah Tabua, World Vision's emergency response coordinator in the Solomon Islands. "I can see a number of houses that have been swept away by the surge."
World Vision is coordinating with the Provincial Disaster Management Office, the local Red Cross, and the Temotu Provincial Authority to complete a rapid assessment of the hardest-hit regions. The initial emergency response will likely include providing clean drinking water and clothing, setting up temporary sanitation facilities, and establishing temporary shelters for families who escaped their homes.

Update 12:41 UTC : Robert Speta reports from Japan : 40cm high Tsunami recorded in the Osagawara islands (Japan), a few other locations also seen 20cm high here in Japan.

As we catch a lot of Tsunami generated attention, we want to show everybody reading this page a HOW TO ACT and WHAT TO EXPECT from a TSUNAMI video. Please watch it in full, it is only a couple of minutes and may save your life in many areas in the world

Update 11:18 UTC : No new data from the rescue and relief actions at Santa Cruz island. It is currently night in the Solomon Islands which will certainly make this work a lot more difficult. A lot of what happened is not known in detail. Is the Lata airstrip (the only one at Nendo) still in use. Early reports have mentioned that the tsunami hit also the airport and that the airstrip was inondated.
- If you want to have a glimpse of the last 175 earthquakes at the Solomon Islands, please click here

Update 10:31 UTC : 42 aftershocks of more than Magnitude 5 since the mainshock. These kind of strong continuous aftershocks are rather exceptional.

Update 10:29 UTC : A lot of people are surprised that a Tsunami of "only" 1 to 1.5 meter can generate this kind of destruction. Many people are having a wrong idea of Tsunamis merely because of the drawings who can be found on the internet. They think that tsunamis have to be huge waves arriving on the coast. In most cases tsunamis are sea swelling with extremely strong currents. The swelling can go on and off for a couple of times, exactly what happened based on testimonies reported in Lata. 2 swells of 1.5 meter can be very destructive on a flat coastal strip.

Update 09:29 UTC : SIBC (Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation) reports that up to six people have reportedly died as a result of the tsunami that struck near Temotu Province early this afternoon.
- A very interesting map below. The Intensity calculation graph of USGS.

Update 06:00 UTC : Unfortunately the Lata Hospital is expecting further casualties of this tsunami. They have confirmed that around 700 people live in the 3 villages destroyed but many people would have escaped. If we take the Koshimura (2006) percentages seen in Banda Aceh from the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. For a 2m tsunami, the death ratio was around 0.08-0.1 thus around 60-70 deaths would be expected. For a 0.9-1.1m tsunami as reported, the death ratio was around 0.01-0.025 which would mean around 7-18 deaths are to be expected using this function.

Update 05:26 UTC : At least 5 people have been killed in the tsunami. This earthquake is now CATDAT Red. Running on the trend of the tsunami in Japan - 4 of these were elderly victims (2 women, 2 men) and one was a 10-12 year old male.

Update 05:15-05:30 UTC : Nendo is home to around 5000 people and from what can be gathered the destroyed villages are to the west and south of the village of Lata which would mean that around 500 people are likely affected. It is likely that they would have left to higher ground given the intensity of the earthquake, however there is still no word as to their fate. No casualties have as yet been reported.
There have been reports of missing people however which have now been registered.
New Zealand has a tsunami watch but no tsunami warning as such from this event - they should stay off beaches and be out of the water.

Update 04:35 UTC : Solomon authorities were telling the BBC that : The wave went 500m inland damaging 3 villages. Houses have collapsed. The messages are dripping in very slowly as all the local authorities have been running for their live uphill.
ER : 500 meter inland, if true, is a huge tsunami, even at "only" 1 meter. Let us hope that most people made it uphill in time. Some older people way have had a hard time in reaching a safe higher location.

Update 04:18 UTC : Local officials in the Solomons said that 2 1.5-meter (4 foot, 11-inch) waves hit the epicenter side of Santa Cruz Island, damaging around 50 homes and properties.

Very important Update 04:05 UTC : A very welcomed Tsunami Bulletin nr. 8
TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 008
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 0347Z 06 FEB 2013

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS...EXCEPT ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA... WASHINGTON...OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

... TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH CANCELLATION ...

THE TSUNAMI WARNING ISSUED BY THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER IS NOW CANCELLED FOR
SOLOMON ISLANDS / VANUATU / NAURU / PAPUA NEW GUINEA / TUVALU / NEW CALEDONIA / KOSRAE / FIJI / KIRIBATI / WALLIS AND FUTUNA

THE TSUNAMI WATCH ISSUED BY THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER IS NOW CANCELLED FOR
MARSHALL ISLANDS / HOWLAND AND BAKER / POHNPEI / TOKELAU / SAMOA / KERMADEC ISLANDS / NEW ZEALAND / AMERICAN SAMOA / TONGA / AUSTRALIA / NIUE / COOK ISLANDS / INDONESIA / WAKE ISLAND / CHUUK / JARVIS ISLAND / GUAM / NORTHERN MARIANAS / PALMYRA ISLAND / YAP / JOHNSTON ISLAND / MINAMITORISHIMA / BELAU

THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.

Tectonic Summary
The February 6th, 2013 M 8.0 earthquake in the Santa Cruz Islands occurred as a result of shallow thrust faulting on or near the plate boundary interface between the Australia and Pacific plates. In the region of this earthquake, the Australia plate converges with and subducts beneath the Pacific plate, moving towards the east-northeast at a rate of approximately 94 mm/yr.
The February 6th earthquake is located approximately 700-750 km ESE of the Mw 8.1 Solomon Islands earthquake of April 1, 2007, and the Mw 7.1 Solomon Island earthquake of January 3, 2010.
It is over 900 km to NNW of the February 2, 2012 Mw 7.1 Vanuatu earthquake, and approximately 200-300 km north of a series of earthquakes in October, 2009 along the Vanuatu Trench that included two earthquakes larger than magnitude 7 (Mw 7.8, Mw 7.4).

This earthquake is located adjacent to a complex section of the Australia-Pacific plate boundary, where the Solomon Trench to the west is linked to the New Hebrides (Vanuatu) Trench to the south by a short segment of dominantly strike-slip plate motion. The February 6th earthquake is located at the northern end of the New Hebrides (Vanuatu) segment. To the north and west of this event, the plate boundary changes in character, is oriented more west-to-east, and connects the segment ruptured by this event with the continuation of the subduction zone along the Solomon Islands.
Over the month leading up to the February 6th earthquake, there have been dozens of earthquakes in the epicentral region – over 40 M4.5 or larger in the preceding 7 days alone, 7 of which were larger than M6. Faulting mechanisms for these earthquakes suggest a mixture of strike-slip, normal and thrust faulting events. Within an hour of the February 6th M8.0 mainshock, there were also two large aftershocks with magnitudes greater than M6.

New Updated video from Robert Speta from WesternPacificWeather.com (see also below for his first video)

Update 04:05 UTC : AP is just sending the following news via Twitter : Tsunami damages dozens of homes in Solomons, wave warning canceled elsewhere in South Pacific. We will search for confirmation of this news.

Update 03:49 UTC : To the people of the Solomon Islands currently reading our pages : PLEASE write your Experience (how much shaking etc) in a few sentences in our form below. Thank you.

Important update 03:43 UTC : USGS has now recalculated the intensities and reports that :
- 9,000 people will have experienced a SEVERE MMI VIII shaking (this kind of shaking can be destructive)
- 10,000 people a very strong shaking and 5,000 a strong shaking.
- USGS has also revised the depth of the hypocenter from 5.8 km to 28.7 km.

Revised intensity map - bad news for Nendo

Update 03:42 UTC : Since the mainshock, the epicenter area was hit by 13 aftershocks > M5. The 2 strongest ones ware reported as M6.6 and M6.4

Update 03:38 UTC : Civil Defence New Zealand has issued a tsunami watch for New Zealand
The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management (MCDEM) has issued a tsunami potential threat to New Zealand advisory for Auckland West, East Cape, Gisborne, New Plymouth, Milford Sound, Napier, Westport and Wellington .

Update 03:35 UTC : The director at Lata Hospital told there are no casualties arriving yet but they are expecting many. He also told the airport is completely swamped with water and debris.

Update 03:33 UTC : Major traffic jams on Honiara (capital Solomon Islands) as people trying to move to higher ground.

Update 03:32 UTC :
TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 006
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 0316Z 06 FEB 2013

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS...EXCEPT ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA... WASHINGTON...OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

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

NOTE CORRECTED WATCH AREAS

A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR :
SOLOMON ISLANDS / VANUATU / NAURU / PAPUA NEW GUINEA / TUVALU / NEW CALEDONIA / KOSRAE / FIJI / KIRIBATI / WALLIS AND FUTUNA

A TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR :
MARSHALL ISLANDS / HOWLAND AND BAKER / POHNPEI / TOKELAU / SAMOA / KERMADEC ISLANDS / NEW ZEALAND / AMERICAN SAMOA / TONGA / AUSTRALIA / NIUE / COOK ISLANDS / INDONESIA / WAKE ISLAND / CHUUKJARVIS ISLAND / GUAM / NORTHERN MARIANAS / PALMYRA ISLAND / YAP / JOHNSTON ISLAND / MINAMITORISHIMA / BELAU

FOR ALL OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THIS BULLETIN... IT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME.

Since the devastating Tsunami in 2004, people take no risk and move to higher ground, some even auto-evacuating. Honaria, the capital of the Solomon Islands, far outside the shaking area, people are currently moving to higher ground.

Update 03:24 UTC : The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has corrected its recent update. Australia is NOT in the warning area.
04:23 but is still on watch

During a Tsunami the first wave is not always the biggest one - stay on high ground until the authorities are calling the alert off

Update 03:12 UTC :The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation cited a witness who said water was covering an airstrip in Lata

Update 03:11 UTC : The Solomon Islands Visitor Centre has spoken to ABC News 24, confirming the 90cm sea level rise in the Santa Cruz Islands. In Lata, the provincial capital of the worst-hit area, there are no reports of damage so far.

Typical house in Nendo, the closest island to the epicenter - Image courtesy Mariwatmo

Update 03:05 UTC : A New bulletin from PWTC has just arrived. We bring it to you in a minute
- Evacuations are being ordered by many, many Pacific countries. Authorities are taking NO risk and are evacuating even islands and coastal areas which are not on the dangerous NOAA list !
TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 004
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 0252Z 06 FEB 2013

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS...EXCEPT ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...WASHINGTON...OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

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

A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SOLOMON ISLANDS / VANUATU / NAURU / PAPUA NEW GUINEA / TUVALU / NEW CALEDONIA / KOSRAE / FIJI / KIRIBATI / WALLIS AND FUTUNA / MARSHALL ISLANDS / HOWLAND AND BAKER / POHNPEI / TOKELAU / SAMOA / KERMADEC ISLANDS / NEW ZEALAND / AMERICAN SAMOA / TONGA / AUSTRALIA / NIUE / COOK ISLANDS / INDONESIA / WAKE ISLAND

A TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MARSHALL ISLANDS / HOWLAND AND BAKER / POHNPEI / TOKELAU / SAMOA / KERMADEC ISLANDS / NEW ZEALAND / AMERICAN SAMOA / TONGA / AUSTRALIA / NIUE / COOK ISLANDS / INDONESIA /
WAKE ISLAND / CHUUK / JARVIS ISLAND / GUAM / NORTHERN MARIANAS / PALMYRA ISLAND / YAP / JOHNSTON ISLAND / MINAMITORISHIMA / BELAU

FOR ALL OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THIS BULLETIN... IT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME.

Update 02:57 UTC : AustraliaNetworkNews / @an_news, a very well informed news agency reports vuia Twitter that : Emergency authorities on Santa Cruz island have confirmed the tsunami has destroyed three villages on the island @ABCNews24

Update 02:57 UTC : Map 2 below is showing 3 very big balloons. These are the same earthquake of course, but they show the locations of the epicenter as reported by Geofon, USGS and EMSC. Epicenter calculation is extremely difficult. Our map shows it very good.

Update 02:51 UTC : A very interesting graph is from the Sea Level gauge at the Lata Wharf, relatively close to the epicenter. The gauge confirms the after all limited height of the tsunami. We have to say however that the currents with a tsunami of 1 meter can also be very powerful and even damage a lot of things.

Update 02:48 UTC : Robert Speta, one of the people collaborating with Earthquake-Report.com and meteorologist at NHK Japan made the following video. Of course this video was made shortly after the earthquake.

Update 02:44 UTC : ONE News has spoken to Charles Ngali who is in Lata Hospital in the Solomon Islands. He says he felt a series of strong earthquakes. The hospital is on high ground but he has heard that a wave passed through the airport, which is on lower ground. Most of the patients at Lata Hospital have been taken to higher ground.

Update 02:41 UTC : Tsunami travel time map as compiled by NOAA

Update 02:38 UTC : And like the M8.0 was not yet enough, the M6+ aftershocks are raging further.

Update 02:36 UTC : AFP reports that : "The information we are getting is that some villages west and south of Lata along the coast have been destroyed, although we cannot confirm this yet," the director at Lata Hospital on the main Santa Cruz island of Ndende, told AFP.

Important Update 02:32 UTC : A lot of islands have in the meantime changed from RED to ORANGE

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS...EXCEPT ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA... WASHINGTON...OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

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

A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SOLOMON ISLANDS / VANUATU / NAURU / PAPUA NEW GUINEA / TUVALU / NEW CALEDONIA / KOSRAE / FIJI / KIRIBATI / WALLIS AND FUTUNA

A TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MARSHALL ISLANDS / HOWLAND AND BAKER / POHNPEI / TOKELAU / SAMOA / KERMADEC ISLANDS / NEW ZEALAND / AMERICAN SAMOA / TONGA / AUSTRALIA / NIUE / COOK ISLANDS / INDONESIA / WAKE ISLAND / CHUUK / JARVIS ISLAND / GUAM / NORTHERN MARIANAS / PALMYRA ISLAND / YAP / JOHNSTON ISLAND / MINAMITORISHIMA / BELAU

FOR ALL OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THIS BULLETIN... IT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME.

Update 02:26 UTC : FRANCE is issuing a tsunami warning for his NEW CALEDONIA province. Not a surprise as New Caledonia was already mentioned in the list below.
- BBC reports a measured tsunami height of 0.91 meter at the Santa Cruz Islands. Tsunamis are however very different in height depending on the sea floor. Almost no tsunami at one place and a meters high tsunami at other bays and beaches. Let's hope we can soon get a confirmation from this after all limited height. It would be inline with GDACS calculations.
The message reported by AFP surprises us a lot as shaking destruction was not that evident at this distance from the epicenter. AFP has changed the text a little bit illustrating that they are not so sure of their earlier report. "feared to have flattened villages in the Solomon Islands"

Update 02:18 UTC : Some hopeful news from our part. We do see some people from the Solomon Islands reading our pages which means at least that communications are still working at some islands.

Important news Update 02:15 UTC : AFP has had a contact with a hospital director at the Solomon Islands. He was talking about many villages destroyed. This news is however not confirmed by a second source

Update 02:12 UTC : GDACS has created a Tsunami poster which looks quiet impressive
Below the computed tsunami heigts at various Solomon Islands locations.
06 Feb 2013 00:14:00 Malemgeulu Solomon Islands 1.1m
06 Feb 2013 00:14:00 Nemboe Solomon Islands 1.1m
06 Feb 2013 00:14:00 Matamotu Solomon Islands 1.1m
06 Feb 2013 00:14:00 Nudung Solomon Islands 1.1m
06 Feb 2013 00:14:00 Trevanion Solomon Islands 1.1m
06 Feb 2013 00:14:00 Bema Solomon Islands 1.1m
06 Feb 2013 00:16:00 Malue Solomon Islands 1.0m
06 Feb 2013 00:16:00 Menelu Solomon Islands 1.0m
06 Feb 2013 00:16:00 Nevea Solomon Islands 1.0m
06 Feb 2013 00:16:00 Taepe Solomon Islands 1.0m
06 Feb 2013 00:16:00 Nuela Solomon Islands 1.0m
06 Feb 2013 00:16:00 Foa Solomon Islands 1.0m
06 Feb 2013 00:16:00 Noka Solomon Islands 1.0m
06 Feb 2013 00:14:00 Nonea Solomon Islands 1.0m

Update 02:04 UTC : We do request at the people living at the Solomon Islands or the Santa Cruz islands to let us know how the shaking was experienced. Almost no news is arriving from the epicenter area.
Lata, the city nearest to the epicenter (epicenter in the ocean) was expected to experience a very strong shaking.
Lata is the provincial capital of Temotu Province, Solomon Islands. As of 2007, it has 553 inhabitants. There are a few rest houses for overnight stays. There is a Post office, Telecom office and numerous stores. It contains a small air strip with flights to Makira and Honiara.

Update 02:04 UTC : Chris Rowan @Allochthonous just wrote - Focal mechanism is up: NE-SW compression, consistent with subduction thrust.

Update 02:01 UTC : This will be a typical subduction earthquake. The earthquake is triggered by the Australian Plate subducting the Pacific plate. Especially subduction earthquakes are very dangerous for tsunamis.

Update 02:01 UTC : HAWAII has NO warning or advisory so far.

Update 01:59 UTC : PWTC reports that a tsunami of 1 meter was measured at the Santa Cruz Islands. When this would be the max. height.

Update 01:51 UTC : New Tsunami bulletin 002 for the Pacific Ocean - Click here to read it entirely
... A TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH ARE IN EFFECT ...

A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SOLOMON ISLANDS / VANUATU / NAURU / PAPUA NEW GUINEA / TUVALU / NEW CALEDONIA / KOSRAE / FIJI / KIRIBATI / WALLIS AND FUTUNA / MARSHALL ISLANDS / HOWLAND AND BAKER / POHNPEI / TOKELAU

A TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SAMOA / KERMADEC ISLANDS / NEW ZEALAND / AMERICAN SAMOA / TONGA / AUSTRALIA / NIUE / COOK ISLANDS / INDONESIA / WAKE ISLAND / CHUUK / JARVIS ISLAND / GUAM / NORTHERN ARIANAS / PALMYRA ISLAND / YAP / JOHNSTON ISLAND / MINAMITORISHIMA / BELAU / MIDWAY ISLAND

FOR ALL OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THIS BULLETIN... IT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME.

Update 01:43 UTC : The closest Island to the epicenter is NENDO Island, one of the Santa Cruz Islands. Biggest town on that island is LATA. The shaking there must have been massive.

Update 01:43 UTC : Aftershocks reaching M6+ are striking the area. We are not so concerned about these aftershocks as even an M6.5 in this area is acceptable. We are MOST CONCERNED about the tsunami treat.

Update 01:38 UTC : EMSC (Europe) is reporting a Magnitude of 7.4 which is a very big difference with the first reported M8.0. Let us hope that EMSC is right.
- We are sure that the Tsunami sirens are howling on all the islands in RED and ORANGE.

Update 01:36 UTC : This is an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS condition for the many islands of the Solomon Islands
... A TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH ARE IN EFFECT ...

A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SOLOMON ISLANDS / VANUATU / NAURU / PAPUA NEW GUINEA / TUVALU / NEW CALEDONIA / KOSRAE / FIJI / KIRIBATI / WALLIS AND FUTUNA

A TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR
MARSHALL ISLANDS / HOWLAND AND BAKER / POHNPEI / TOKELAU / SAMOA / KERMADEC ISLANDS / NEW ZEALAND / AMERICAN SAMOA / TONGA / AUSTRALIA / NIUE / COOK ISLANDS / INDONESIA / WAKE ISLAND / CHUUK / JARVIS ISLAND / GUAM / NORTHERN MARIANAS / PALMYRA ISLAND / YAP / JOHNSTON ISLAND / MINAMITORISHIMA / BELAU

FOR ALL OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THIS BULLETIN... IT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME.

MASSIVE earthquake in the same area than the other quakes a little earlier
Tsunami alert for some areas

Very strong earthquake in the Solomon Islands area
A very strong earthquake with a preliminary value of M6 struck at +300 km from Kira Kira, Solomon Islands.
The area is very active since the end of last week when many M6 earthquakes occurred in the Santa Cruz Islands area (belongs also to the Solomon Islands and is in fact the greater same area). Todays epicenter is located at a safe distance from the nearest islands.
Another M5.1 earthquake struck the same area earlier today. Of course no danger for a tsunami at these Magnitudes.
This earthquake will have been felt as a moderate shaking for a limited number of people on the nearest island and as a light shaking for the others on that same island. Do not be misled by the VIII shakemap from USGS as this shaking is only applicable for the ocean ! The fish will not feel it that way 🙂
Our second map below is showing the impressive swarm since it started at the end of last week

Links to important maps
Historic earthquakes map
Shaking map
Human impact map
Scientific parameters
NOAA Tsunami alerts

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Other earlier earthquakes in the greater epicenter area (since 2012)

Strongest earthquakes Magnitude 4.5 or more within a 150 km radius from this earthquake (max. 60)