The 2010 Solomon Islands earthquake occurred with a moment magnitude of 7.1 on January 3 at 22:36:28 (UTC). A

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...

measuring approximately affected some parts of the islands, while a maximum run-up height of was recorded. The earthquake was the largest in a series of quakes to strike the Solomon Islands over the preceding days. The 7.1 mainshock was preceded by a 6.6 magnitude foreshock some 48 minutes previous. As many as 1,000 people were left

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

on the island of Rendova after the earthquake and tsunami destroyed approximately 200 homes.

Earthquake

The shock was located southeast of Gizo, south west of Dadali, Santa Isabel and north west of

Honiara Honiara () is the capital and largest city of Solomon Islands, situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal. , it had a population of 92,344 people. The city is served by Honiara International Airport and the seaport of Point Cruz, and lies ...

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...

. The earthquake was centered under the sea floor near the town of Gizo, which was heavily damaged in the 2007 Solomon Islands earthquake.

Characteristic

Analysis of trench deformation, tsunami run-up heights and wave height data from the ocean revealed that the earthquake was a slow-rupturing "

tsunami earthquake In seismology, a tsunami earthquake is an earthquake which triggers a tsunami of significantly greater Seismic magnitude scales, magnitude, as measured by shorter-period seismic waves. The term was introduced by Japanese seismologist Hiroo Kanam ...

". Such earthquakes rupture the upper 20 km portion of a subduction zone, while releasing less energy compared to an ordinary subduction zone earthquake.

Effects

January 2010 Solomon Islands earthquake intensity USGS

Landslides and tsunamis on the islands of Rendova and Tetepare. A tsunami measuring up to struck Rendova, destroying as many as 200 homes and leaving one-third of Rendova's population homeless. A maximum runup of was recorded at Rendova Island. Approximately 1,000 residents have lost their residences, out of the total Rendovan population of just 3,600 people. The village of Retavo, which has a population of approximately 20 people, was hit by a 10-foot tsunami wave. Another village, Baniata, reported that sixteen homes were destroyed and thirty-two were damaged by the earthquake and tsunami. Due to early evacuations, there were no fatalities, but two people sustained minor injuries.

References

External links

Quake Triggers Tsunami in Solomon Islands
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Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Solomon Islands earthquake, 2010 2010 earthquakes

Earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

2010 Solomon January 2010 in Oceania Tsunami earthquakes 2010 tsunamis

Earthquake

Characteristic

Effects

See also

References

Further reading

External links