UPDATE: Tsunami Threat Has Passed

UPDATE: 12.4.18, 9:28 p.m.

Based on all available data, the Tsunami Threat from these earthquakes has now passed.

UPDATE: 12.4.18, 8:48 p.m.

A second earthquake was registered in the same vicinity as the first earthquake. No tsunami has been generated by the second earthquake as of 8:43 p.m.; however, waves may still arrive in Hawai‘i from the earlier tsunami (see 7:30 p.m. post).

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

ORIGIN TIME – 0843 PM HST 04 DEC 2018
COORDINATES – 22.0 SOUTH 169.6 EAST
LOCATION – SOUTHEAST OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
MAGNITUDE – 7.0 MOMENT

BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII. REPEAT. A DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAI‘I.

UPDATE: 12.4.18, 8:09 p.m.

NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER, EWA BEACH, HI: THE TSUNAMI FORECAST REMAINS UNCHANGED

UPDATE: 12.4.18, 7:30 p.m.

Hawai‘i may receive some tidal action due to the 7.6-magnitude earthquake in the Loyalty Islands.

TSUNAMI WAVES REACHING 1 TO 3 METERS ABOVE THE TIDE LEVEL ARE POSSIBLE ALONG SOME COASTS OF NEW CALEDONIA AND VANUATU.

TSUNAMI WAVES REACHING 0.3 TO 1 METERS ABOVE THE TIDE LEVEL ARE POSSIBLE FOR SOME COASTS OF FIJI.

TSUNAMI WAVES ARE FORECAST TO BE LESS THAN 0.3 METERS ABOVE THE TIDE LEVEL FOR THE COASTS OF:

HAWAI‘I and the NORTHWESTERN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS are included in the forecast. 

Other areas in the forecast include AMERICAN SAMOA, ANTARCTICA, AUSTRALIA, CHILE, CHINA, CHUUK, COLOMBIA, COOK ISLANDS, COSTA RICA, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, FRENCH POLYNESIA, GUAM, GUATEMALA, HONDURAS, HOWLAND AND BAKER, INDONESIA, JAPAN, JARVIS ISLAND, JOHNSTON ATOLL, KERMADEC ISLANDS, KIRIBATI, KOSRAE, MALAYSIA, MARSHALL ISLANDS, MEXICO, MIDWAY ISLAND, NAURU, NEW ZEALAND, NICARAGUA, NIUE, NORTHERN MARIANAS, PALAU, PALMYRA ISLAND, PANAMA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, PERU, PHILIPPINES, PITCAIRN ISLANDS, POHNPEI, RUSSIA, SAMOA, SOLOMON ISLANDS, TAIWAN, TOKELAU, TONGA, TUVALU, WAKE ISLAND, WALLIS AND FUTUNA, AND YAP.

ACTUAL AMPLITUDES AT THE COAST MAY VARY FROM FORECAST AMPLITUDES DUE TO UNCERTAINTIES IN THE FORECAST AND LOCAL FEATURES. IN PARTICULAR MAXIMUM TSUNAMI AMPLITUDES ON ATOLLS AND AT LOCATIONS WITH FRINGING OR BARRIER REEFS WILL LIKELY BE MUCH SMALLER THAN THE FORECAST INDICATES.

FOR OTHER AREAS COVERED BY THIS PRODUCT A FORECAST HAS NOT YET BEEN COMPUTED. THE FORECAST WILL BE EXPANDED IF NECESSARY IN SUBSEQUENT PRODUCTS.

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES RESPONSIBLE FOR THREATENED COASTAL AREAS SHOULD TAKE ACTION TO INFORM AND INSTRUCT ANY COASTAL POPULATIONS AT RISK IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR OWN EVALUATION… PROCEDURES AND THE LEVEL OF THREAT.

PERSONS LOCATED IN THREATENED COASTAL AREAS SHOULD STAY ALERT FOR INFORMATION AND FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS FROM NATIONAL AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

ESTIMATED TIMES OF ARRIVAL

ESTIMATED TIMES OF ARRIVAL—ETA—OF THE INITIAL TSUNAMI WAVE FOR PLACES WITHIN THREATENED REGIONS ARE GIVEN BELOW. ACTUAL ARRIVAL TIMES MAY DIFFER AND THE INITIAL WAVE MAY NOT BE THE LARGEST. A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF WAVES AND THE TIME BETWEEN WAVES CAN BE FIVE MINUTES TO ONE HOUR.

LOCATION REGION COORDINATES ETA(UTC)

ANATOM ISLAND VANUATU 20.2S 169.9E 0442 12/05
NOUMEA NEW CALEDONIA 22.3S 166.5E 0525 12/05
ESPERITU SANTO VANUATU 15.1S 167.3E 0539 12/05
SUVA FIJI 18.1S 178.4E 0604 12/05

POTENTIAL IMPACTS

A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF WAVES. THE TIME BETWEEN WAVE CRESTS CAN VARY FROM 5 MINUTES TO AN HOUR. THE HAZARD MAY PERSIST FOR MANY HOURS OR LONGER AFTER THE INITIAL WAVE.

IMPACTS CAN VARY SIGNIFICANTLY FROM ONE SECTION OF COAST TO THE NEXT DUE TO LOCAL BATHYMETRY AND THE SHAPE AND ELEVATION OF THE SHORELINE.

IMPACTS CAN ALSO VARY DEPENDING UPON THE STATE OF THE TIDE AT THE TIME OF THE MAXIMUM TSUNAMI WAVES.

PERSONS CAUGHT IN THE WATER OF A TSUNAMI MAY DROWN… BE CRUSHED BY DEBRIS IN THE WATER… OR BE SWEPT OUT TO SEA.

TSUNAMI OBSERVATIONS

THE FOLLOWING ARE TSUNAMI WAVE OBSERVATIONS FROM COASTAL AND/OR DEEP-OCEAN SEA LEVEL GAUGES AT THE INDICATED LOCATIONS. THE MAXIMUM TSUNAMI HEIGHT IS MEASURED WITH RESPECT TO THE NORMAL TIDE LEVEL.

GAUGE TIME OF MAXIMUM WAVE COORDINATES MEASURE TSUNAMI PERIOD GAUGE LOCATION LAT LON (UTC) HEIGHT (MIN)

MARE NEW CALEDONIA 21.5S 167.9E 0454 0.38M/ 1.3FT 04
LENAKEL VU 19.5S 169.3E 0444 0.29M/ 1.0FT 06

NEXT UPDATE AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

THE NEXT MESSAGE WILL BE ISSUED IN ONE HOUR OR SOONER IF THE SITUATION WARRANTS.

ORIGINAL POST: The USGS reported that a 7.0-magnitude earthquake occurred southeast of the Loyalty Islands on Dec. 4, 2018, at 6:18 p.m.

ORIGIN TIME – 0618 PM HST 04 DEC 2018
COORDINATES – 22.1 SOUTH 169.2 EAST
LOCATION – SOUTHEAST OF LOYALTY ISLANDS
MAGNITUDE – 7.6 MOMENT

A TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS FOR PARTS OF THE PACIFIC LOCATED CLOSER TO THE EARTHQUAKE.