7.2-magnitude earthquake strikes near Solomon Islands
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A powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck near the Solomon Islands in South Pacific early Monday in local time, the second quake in less than an hour, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said Sunday.
According to the USGS, the quake was centered 65 miles (105 km) southeast of Gizo at about 9:36 a.m. local time on Monday (2236 GMT on Sunday) at a depth of 19 miles (30.5 km).
It followed an earlier 6.5-magnitude quake that struck at 8:48 a.m. local time (2148 GMT Sunday), which was centered 54 miles (90 km) southeast of Gizo at a depth of 6 miles (10 km).
There were no immediate reports of damage, and no warning on the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center website.
However, the center said earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a few hundred kilometers of the earthquake epicenter.
Gizo was badly damaged and more than 50 people were killed when an 8.1-magnitude quake on April 2, 2007 sent a tsunami into the coast.
