Strong Quake hits off Tonga

[Pastor Dale Morgan]

*Great Earthquakes in Diverse Places

Strong Quake hits off Tonga*

From: Agence France-Presse

July 19, 2006

AN earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 5.7 struck near the Pacific
island of Tonga, the US Geological Survey said.

The USGS reported the moderate quake as striking just after 2.00am
(AEST) about 367km west-northwest of the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa.

The 5.7 reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale, now
used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that
ruptured and the total energy released.