Vanuatu tsunami threat over after big quake: scientists

A major earthquake hit the Pacific nation of Vanuatu early Friday, briefly prompting a tsunami warning that was cancelled after locals reported no significant damage. The United States Geological Survey said the 7.0-magnitude quake -- originally reported as 7.3 -- struck at a relatively shallow depth of 35 kilometres (21 miles) some 209 kilometres from the capital Port Vila. The National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC) initially warned the quake, which hit at 1933 Thursday GMT, could generate waves of up to three metres (10 feet) on parts of the Vanuatu coast.

Continue reading...