South Pacific: Authorities maintain tsunami threat forecast following magnitude-8.1 earthquake in South Pacific Ocean near Kermadec Islands March 5 /update 2

Event

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) maintains a tsunami threat forecast for multiple countries in the South Pacific as of 1629 NZDT March 5 following a magnitude-8.1 offshore earthquake near the Kermadec Islands at around 0628 NZDT earlier the same day.

According to PTWC,

• waves of more than 3 meters (10 feet) are forecast for the Kermadec Islands;

• 1-3 meters (3-10 feet) are forecast for New Caledonia and Vanuatu;

• below 1 meter (3 feet) are forecast for coastal regions of Antarctica, Australia, Chile, Colombia, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kosrae, Mexico, Nauru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Pitcairn Islands, Phonpei, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Wallis and Futuna.

Authorities in American Samoa, Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Hawaii, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Wallis and Futuna have lifted all previous tsunami alerts and warnings, though they continue to advise residents on possible strong currents and unpredictable surges near coastal areas and for individuals to remain vigilant.

Officials in Peru have issued a tsunami alert for its pacific coastal regions as a precaution but are not enforcing mandatory evacuations. In Chile, authorities maintain a Red Tsunami alert for its coastal regions and are advising residents to avoid beaches. Officials in Ecuador are warning of possible wave disturbances along coastal regions through at least the morning of March 5.

The quake's epicenter was approximately 834 km (518 miles) north-northeast of Auckland, New Zealand. The tremor occurred at a depth of approximately 10 km (6 miles). Very strong shaking was reported on the Kermadec Islands - a location inhabited only by small scientific teams from New Zealand at certain times of the year. Additional tsunami alerts are possible in case of significant aftershocks; reports indicate aftershocks of up to magnitude-5.9 are occurring in the area.

Advice

Out of an abundance of caution, consider moving away from low-lying coastal areas until local authorities determine that no local tsunami threat exists; tsunamis can be long-duration events, and the threat may persist for hours.

Resources

NZ National Emergency Management Agency
Australia Bureau of Meteorology
Chile National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry (Spanish)
Ecuadoran Oceanographic Institute of the Naval Forces (Spanish)
Peru National Emergency Operations Center Twitter (Spanish)