WELLINGTON, New Zealand – A 7.7-magnitude earthquake in the South Pacific triggered small tsunami waves in Vanuatu on Friday.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (CATP) said it detected waves 60 centimeters (2 feet) above tidal level off Lenkel, a port city in the island country. In addition, smaller waves were detected at other points in Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
Vanuatu’s National Office of Emergency Management advised people to evacuate the coast and move to higher ground, while urging them to stay on the radio for updates on the situation and other precautionary measures.
For its part, the New Zealand Emergency Agency indicated that coastal areas were expected to register strong and unusual currents along with unexpected swells on the coast.
The CATP noted that there were small waves of 20 centimeters (8 in) above tide in the Eastern Cape and Northern Cape, New Zealand.
The tsunami threat passed within hours, but the center warned that small changes in sea level could continue.
The US Geological Survey reported that the epicenter of the quake was near the Loyalty Islands, which lie southwest of Fiji, north of New Zealand and east of Australia, where the Coral Sea meets the Pacific.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 37 kilometers (23 mi).
The region is part of the “Ring of Fire”, an arc of seismic fault lines in the Pacific where most of the world’s earthquakes occur.
