A large magnitude shallow earthquake has caused strong shaking near Port Vila this afternoon.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre forecast tsunami waves of 0.3 to 1 m for Vanuatu, and of less than 0.3 m for Fiji, Kermadec Islands, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Wallis and Futuna.
NEMA says there is no tsunami threat for New Zealand.
The SMC asked experts to comment.
Associate Professor Kasper van Wijk, Department of Physics, University of Auckland, comments:
“Vanuatu is situated, like New Zealand, on top of a subduction zone. This particular earthquake was shallow and close to Port Vila, so I expect there to be significant damage from the earthquake.
“From recordings of the seismic waves, it appears this earthquake could also have the ingredients for a tsunami, specifically for the Islands in the region. The hypocentre was in the crust overlain by the Pacific Ocean, and there may have been the rapid uplift of the crust under the water needed for a tsunami.”
No conflicts of interest declared.