Major 7.0-magnitude quake strikes Peru: USGS

WASHINGTON - A major 7.0-magnitude earthquake rocked Peru Sunday, US experts said.

The quake hit at 2321 GMT 42 kilometers (26 miles) east-northeast of Tambo at a depth of 58.9 kilometers, the US Geological Survey said.

Located 471 kilometers southeast of the capital Lima, it hit at at 23:21 GMT.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center cautioned that earthquakes of this size "sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within 100 kilometers of the earthquake epicenter."

"Authorities in the region of the epicenter should be aware of this possibility and take appropriate action," it added.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Tsunami alert in Hawaii after Chile earthquake

A tsunami advisory has been issued for Hawaii due to a magnitude 8.2 earthquake that struck on Tuesday off the coast of Chile, but no major damage is expected, U.S. officials said.

"Based on all available data, a major tsunami is not expected to strike the state of Hawaii," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a statement.

"However, sea level changes and strong currents may occur along all coasts that could be a hazard to swimmers and boaters as well as to persons near the shore at beaches and in harbors and marinas."

The initial wave from the earthquake off the coast of Chile is expected to reach Hawaii at 3:24 a.m. (9:24 a.m. ET/1324 GMT) local time on Wednesday, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Hawaii ends tsunami evacuation

Hawaii dropped a tsunami warning and evacuations Sunday after a major earthquake off Canada's west coast Saturday night.

After the warning was posted by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, Gov. Neil Abercrombie declared an emergency and officials began evacuating coastal and low-lying areas, KITV News in Honolulu reported.

The first small tsunami waves were seen off Hawaii about six hours after the earthquake, CNN said.

Five hours after the evacuations were ordered, the National Weather Service said the threat of a tsunami had decreased and was not expected to rise again.

Regardless, all beaches remained closed and Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle urged residents to stay ashore, HawaiiNewsNow reported.

"Right now, we do not feel it is safe for anyone to go into the water," the mayor said.

The major magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck in the Haida Gwaii archipelago along Canada's western coast Saturday night, U.S. seismologists said.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 8:04 p.m. local time about 10.9 miles deep. It was centered occurred along British Columbia's coast, about 86 miles south of Masset and about 395 miles south-southeast of Juneau, Alaska

A tsunami warning was also issued by the West Coast-Alaska Tsunami Warning Center from the northern tip of Vancouver Island to Cape Decision, Alaska, although it was downgraded to an advisory soon after.

Despite the quake's magnitude, there were no immediate reports of injuries or significant damage in the mostly rural islands of British Columbia.

The Toronto Star's western bureau reported the initial quake was followed by at least two aftershocks.

"We were just sitting down relaxing and all of a sudden -- boom! I thought it was a major landslide," Dave Martynuik, who lives in the village of Queen Charlotte in the Haida Gwaii, told the newspaper in a phone interview.

source: upi.com