Tonga earthquake: 6.2-magnitude earthquake strikes islands days after volcano eruption | science | News

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The quake struck 219 kilometers (136.1 miles) west-northwest of the Banggai region of Tonga. The epicenter of the earthquake was between the Tonga Islands and the Lao region. It was a shallow earthquake with a depth of 14.5 km.

Some of the islands may have felt the shaking, but it was reportedly not very strong as the epicenter was not nearby.

It was also reported that there was little chance of a tsunami hazard.

The USGS has predicted that there is a low chance (green alert) of shock-related deaths, as well as a small chance of economic losses from damage to buildings.

Fortunately there were no people within 100 kilometers of the collision.

This comes after another earthquake struck just hours ago.

The 5.0-magnitude earthquake, which is considered strong, is said to be located 44 kilometers from Nuku’alofa in Tonga.

The latest earthquake occurred 251 km north-north-west of Nuku’alofa.

This is about 184 kilometers northwest of Honga Tonga-Hanga Hawapai, where a massive volcanic eruption occurred 12 days ago on January 15, 2022.

In fact, the eruption of this volcano was so massive that NASA said it was hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in World War II.

“This is a preliminary estimate, but we believe the amount of energy released by the explosion was the equivalent of 4 to 18 megatons of TNT,” Jim Garvin, chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, wrote on the NASA Earth Observatory blog.

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The eruption sent a large cloud of ash and water vapor into the atmosphere 25 miles away and generated 50-foot-high tsunami waves that struck parts of the main island of Tonga.

The disaster also damaged the island’s main internet cable, cutting off communication with the remote archipelago for several days.

Dr Neil Hudson, Member of Parliament for Penrith and The Border, said in the House of Commons: “I have asked for solidarity and support for the people of Tonga, and I welcome that we are working closely with these allies in Australia and New Zealand to support the people of Tonga.

“I very much welcome the Minister’s statement that the UK is redeploying military assets to provide humanitarian support to Tonga.”

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Since the eruption of the giant volcano, the majority of Tonga’s population (about 84 percent according to the Tongan government) has been affected by falling ash and tsunami.

Three people were killed in the tsunami caused by the explosion last week.

Among the dead was 50-year-old British woman Angela Glover.

Ash in the air continues to pose a health threat to Tonga’s 100,000-plus people – inhaling smoke and ash can lead to inflammation and damage to tissues in the heart and lungs.

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