The South Pacific is shaking again.
A magnitude-5.3 earthquake struck the Vanuatu region on September 25, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, hitting at a depth of roughly 24 kilometers, or 15 miles. Its epicenter was about 350 miles east-southeast of Isangel, Vanuatu, in a remote stretch of ocean, and no significant damage or tsunami warning was reported.
But it wasn’t an isolated jolt. Vanuatu’s Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department has recorded multiple earthquakes around the islands in recent days, including magnitude-4.8, 4.4 and 4.2 events on September 23, followed by another 4.2 on September 25. September alone has included more than 20 recorded Vanuatu-region earthquakes, with the strongest reaching magnitude 5.6.
The activity puts renewed attention on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the horseshoe-shaped tectonic belt responsible for roughly 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes and 81 percent of its largest.
One important caveat: a run of earthquakes does not mean a megaquake or tsunami is imminent. Scientists currently cannot predict when a major earthquake will strike, and NOAA says predicting the time and location of the next tsunami is impossible.
Still, the potential is very real.
NOAA says dangerous, ocean-crossing tsunamis are generally associated with shallow undersea earthquakes greater than magnitude 8.0, where vertical movement of the seafloor violently displaces the water above it.
Vanuatu has seen that mechanism before. In 2009, magnitude-7.7 and 7.8 earthquakes struck only 15 minutes apart near Vanuatu and the Santa Cruz Islands, producing two tsunamis detected by deep-ocean sensors.
Related: Watch: Japan’s Underwater ‘Mount Everest’ Unleashed a 124-Foot Tsunami
Elsewhere on the Ring of Fire, the consequences have been catastrophic. Japan’s magnitude-9.1 earthquake generated the devastating 2011 tsunami, while the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake produced waves exceeding 100 feet along nearby coastlines and killed hundreds of thousands.
So Vanuatu’s latest shaking is not evidence that a Pacific-wide tsunami is coming.
It is, however, another reminder that one of Earth’s most dangerous seismic zones is always capable of producing one.
Stay vigilant.
Related: Watch Rare Tsunami Swallow Brazil Beach in 20 Seconds (Video)
Original Post from this site