1st LD Writethru: 6.5-magnitude quake jolts off Solomon Islands posing no tsunami threat
Xinhua, July 10, 2015 Adjust font size:
A 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck in the Pacific off the Solomon Islands on Friday, but no tsunami threat has been issued.
The earthquake hit 154 km southwest of Dadali and 170 km west of the capital Honiara at a depth of 20 km, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A spokesman for the National Disaster Management Office in the Solomons Islands said, "at the moment, no reports have come in of any damage."
USGS had earlier measured the earthquake at 7.0 magnitude.
A 5.3-magnitude aftershock followed the larger earthquake.
"Honiara would have certainly felt this. There would have been a bit of shaking, but only light shaking at this distance," Geoscience Australia seismologist Jonathan Bathgate said. "It is unlikely if there will be much damage, if any."
In 2013, the Solomons were hit by a tsunami after an 8.0- magnitude quake, leaving at least 10 people dead and thousands homeless after buildings were destroyed. Endit