Envirocast® On-Line Feature of the Week -- April 3, 2007

Solomon Islands Tsunami

The images in this Envirocast® Bulletin are from the model output from the NOAA Center for Tsunami Research. They show the maximum wave heights and the wave propagation in the Pacific Ocean from the earthquakes near Solomon Islands on April 1, 2007.

Credit: NOAA Center for Tsunami Research

 

Maximum Wave Heights

Two large back-to-back earthquakes, centered in the region of the Solomon Islands, triggered a tsunami warning Sunday for a huge part of the Pacific including Australia and Indonesia.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the first quake, with magnitude of 8.0, took place at 8:40 UTC (4:40 EDT) and was centered 25 miles (45 km) south-southeast of Gizo, New Georgia Islands, and 1330 miles (2145 km) north-northeast of Brisbane, Australia.

The second quake, near the first and just minutes later, had a magnitude 6.7, according to the USGS. It was centered 75 miles (120 km) west-southwest of Chirovanga, Choiseul, Solomon Islands, and 1410 miles (2265 km) north of Brisbane, Australia.

Wave Propagation in the Pacific Ocean

Click to Download Video (MOV format, 14.2 MB animation)

The animation displays information about the tsunami propagation in the Pacific Ocean. The wave propagation includes tsunami wave interaction with ocean floor bathymetric features and neighboring coastlines. The tsunami radiation pattern is indicated with color coded information about the maximum wave height at different locations throughout the Pacific Ocean. The timer and moving yellow squares indicate time elapsed since time of the earthquake, providing an estimate of tsunami arrival time at different locations.

Environmental Impacts:

  • Research animations of the April 1, 2007 Solomon Islands tsunami propagation created with experimental runs of the MOST tsunami forecast model and including DART™ buoy data.

Locations of the DART buoys

  • At least 20 people were killed in the Solomons and neighboring Papua New Guinea, and officials said the toll was likely rise further as a detailed aerial assessment was made of Gizo and surrounding villages where only scattered radio reports have been collected so far.

     

  • The Solomon Islands is an archipelago of more than 200 islands northeast of Australia. The AP estimates its population at about 552,000 people. The chain lies on the Pacific Basin's so-called "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines where quakes frequently happen.

     

  • The Solomon Islands are popular with international tourists. Most homes in the mountainous islands are constructed of timber and bamboo, with villagers relying on fishing and logging for employment.

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