Great
Earthquakes In Diverse Places
A powerful magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck off the Pacific
island nation of Vanuatu
WASHINGTON | Sat Aug 20, 2011 1:37pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A powerful magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck
off the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, the U.S. Geological
Survey reported Saturday.
It said the quake, which struck at 3:55 a.m. local time on Sunday
(12:55 p.m. EDT on Saturday), was centered 38 miles southwest of
the town of Port-Vila and was quite shallow, at a depth of 25.2
miles.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said the major quake had not
triggered a Pacific-wide tsunami but said: "Earthquakes of this
size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive
along coasts located within a hundred kilometers (80 miles) of the
earthquake epicenter."
There was no immediate information of any damage or casualties,
but when on land quakes of this magnitude can cause widespread and
heavy damage.
The quake was followed by a weaker aftershock of magnitude 5.9
some 20 minutes later.
The Vanuatu archipelago is located on the so-called "Ring of
Fire," one of the most seismically active regions in the world.
Port-Vila is the capital of Vanuatu and has an estimated
population of 40,000 people.
(Reporting by Sandra Maler, Editing by Vicki Allen)