The 2006 Tonga earthquake occurred on 4 May at with a
moment magnitude
The moment magnitude scale (MMS; denoted explicitly with or Mwg, and generally implied with use of a single M for magnitude) is a measure of an earthquake's magnitude ("size" or strength) based on its seismic moment. was defined in a 1979 paper ...
of 8.0 and a maximum
Mercalli intensity of VII (very strong). One injury occurred and a non-destructive tsunami was observed.
Earthquake
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a warning 17 minutes after the earthquake for coastal areas around the Pacific. An hour later, the center downgraded the warning to only the region within 600 miles of the epicenter, and an hour after that, it canceled the alert. The earthquake was followed by a pair of large aftershocks the next day.
Damage
The event caused very limited damage. The previous large earthquake in Tonga, in
1977
Events January
* January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...
, was of a lower magnitude but resulted in more severe damage. A likely cause is that the 2006 quake generated other frequencies that only resulted in resonance in small items. In shops, cans and bottles fell from shelves.
[
*The century-old Catholic church in Lapaha had new cracks in the tower and several stones fell down, leaving the steeple in a somewhat unstable position.
*The tower of a 60-year-old church of the Free church of Tonga in Veitongo collapsed, the steeple came down and several walls cracked beyond repair.
*A Korean business man jumped in panic from his second floor hotel room and was hurt in the fall. He was brought to the hospital where he had to wait a long time for any help as power was off and most staff off duty (as that day was a public holiday).]copra
Copra (from ; ; ; ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted ...
came floating to the ocean surface.
*A landslide
Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...
occurred at Hunga island in Vavau, when the ground at a steep cliff along the shore began sliding into the sea.
*In Haapai, the islands closest to the epicentre, the wharf was damaged and a number of water-pipes and telephone lines were broken.
Tsunami
Since the earthquake occurred underwater, tsunami warnings were issued, but then lifted.
See also
* List of earthquakes in 2006
* List of earthquakes in Tonga
References
External links
Poster of the Tonga Earthquake of 3 May 2006 – Magnitude 7.9
– United States Geological Survey
*
{{Earthquakes in 2006
2006 Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...
Tonga Earthquake, 2006
May 2006 in Oceania
2006 disasters in Oceania