Strong Earthquake Strikes South Pacific Islands, Tsunami Warning Lifted
SYDNEY (CBS/AP) -- A tsunami threat message was canceled Friday evening (Saturday local time) after a strong earthquake struck the Santa Cruz Islands in the South Pacific. No damage or casualties were reported.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the quake measured 6.9, down from a preliminary estimate of 7.5. It hit at a depth of 33 kilometers (20 miles) and was centered undersea 75 kilometers (47 miles) northwest of Lata in the western Solomon Islands, where the Santa Cruz Islands are located.
The Santa Cruz Islands are about 2,252 kilometers (1,400 miles) northeast of Brisbane, Australia.
The Solomons comprise more than 200 islands with a population of about 552,000 people. The islands lie on the "Ring of Fire" - an arc that stretches around the Pacific rim and where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur.
A magnitude 8 quake near Lata in February 2013 generated a tsunami up to 1.5 metters (5 feet) high that damaged dozens of homes and left several people dead on the western side of the Santa Cruz.
More than 50 people were killed and thousands lost their homes in April 2007, when a magnitude-8.1 quake hit the western Solomon Islands, sending waves crashing into coastal villages.
COMPLETE QUAKE COVERAGE: CBS Earthquake Resource Center
DID YOU FEEL IT? USGS Shake Map For Northern California
LIVE QUAKE MAP: Track Real-Time Hot Spots
BAY AREA FAULTS: Interactive Map Of Local Faults
Strong earthquakes with an epicenter off the coast can trigger tsunamis, depending on the size and type of the fault movement. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center tracks earthquake data for the West Coast.
WEST COAST TSUNAMI TRACKING:
Tsunami Alerts & Maps
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