17 Sep 2015

Pacific tsunami threat following Chile quake

4:57 pm on 17 September 2015

Most Pacific countries are being warned of a tsunami threat after a magnitude 8.3 earthquake off the coast of Chile.

The tremor at 2254 UTC was recorded at a depth of 10 kilometres.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii says waves of between one and three metres could hit French Polynesia.

Waves of up to a metre are forecast for New Caledonia, New Zealand, Fiji, the Samoas, the Cook Islands, Tokelau, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tonga, Solomon Islands, and the scattered islands over the north Pacific.

Smaller waves may hit Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea and Nauru.

The first waves in the Pitcairn Islands are expected in about 2 hours, while it could be another 12 hours before waves arrive as far away as the Marshall Islands.

Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre - Estimated times of arrival (in bold)

LOCATION, REGION: COORDINATES - ETA (UTC)

PITCAIRN ISLAND, PITCAIRN: 25.1S 130.1W - 0715 09/17

RIKITEA, FRENCH POLYNESIA: 23.1S 135.0W - 0803 09/17

HIVA OA, FRENCH POLYNESIA: 10.0S 139.0W - 0924 09/17

PAPEETE, FRENCH POLYNESIA: 17.5S 149.6W - 1012 09/17

RAROTONGA, COOK ISLANDS: 21.2S 159.8W - 1043 09/17

FLINT ISLAND, KIRIBATI: 11.4S 151.8W - 1055 09/17

MALDEN ISLAND, KIRIBATI: 3.9S 154.9W - 1141 09/17

PENRYN ISLAND, COOK ISLANDS: 8.9S 157.8W - 1147 09/17

NIUE ISLAND, NIUE: 19.0S 170.0W - 1150 09/17

NUKUALOFA, TONGA: 21.0S 175.2W - 1219 09/17

PUKAPUKA ISLAND, COOK ISLANDS: 10.8S 165.9W - 1220 09/17

PAGO PAGO, AMERICAN SAMOA: 14.3S 170.7W - 1226 09/17

CHRISTMAS ISLAND, KIRIBATI: 2.0N 157.5W - 1231 09/17

APIA, SAMOA: 13.8S 171.8W - 1240 09/17

WALLIS ISLAND, WALLIS AND FUTUNA: 13.3S 176.3W - 1300 09/17

NUKUNONU ISLAND, TOKELAU: 9.2S 171.8W - 1302 09/17

FUTUNA ISLAND, WALLIS AND FUTUNA: 14.3S 178.2W - 1323 09/17

PALMYRA ISLAND, PALMYRA ISLAND: 5.9N 162.1W - 1325 09/17

SUVA, FIJI: 18.1S 178.4E - 1339 09/17

KANTON ISLAND, KIRIBATI: 2.8S 171.7W - 1342 09/17

ANATOM ISLAND, VANUATU: 20.2S 169.9E - 1414 09/17

HOWLAND ISLAND, HOWLAND AND BAKE: 0.6N 176.6W - 1426 09/17

JOHNSTON ISLAND, JOHNSTON ISLAND: 16.7N 169.5W - 1437 09/17

NOUMEA, NEW CALEDONIA: 22.3S 166.5E - 1454 09/17

ESPERITU SANTO, VANUATU: 15.1S 167.3E - 1515 09/17

SANTA CRUZ ISLA, SOLOMON ISLANDS: 10.9S 165.9E - 1539 09/17

TARAWA ISLAND, KIRIBATI: 1.5N 173.0E - 1556 09/17

MAJURO, MARSHALL ISLANDS: 7.1N 171.4E - 1620 09/17

KWAJALEIN, MARSHALL ISLANDS: 8.7N 167.7E - 1647 09/17

ENIWETOK, MARSHALL ISLANDS: 11.4N 162.3E - 1748 09/17