Tsunami warning issued for parts of Pacific after powerful earthquake strikes Papua New Guinea

Published May 21, 2015

A powerful earthquake struck near the South Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea on Monday, prompting officials to warn that hazardous tsunami waves could affect some coastlines in the Pacific.

The magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck Monday at a depth of 65 kilometers (40 miles), about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of the town of Kokopo in northeastern Papua New Guinea, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said hazardous tsunami waves were possible for coasts located within 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) of Kokopo. That includes Papua New Guinea and the nearby Solomon Islands.

The tsunami warning center said tsunami waves reaching 1 to 3 meters (3 to 10 feet) were possible for Papua New Guinea's coastlines.

Tsunami waves of less than 0.3 meters (1 foot) could hit other Pacific island nations, Japan, Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Hawaii.

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