Wednesday, April 11, 2012

News Update No Tsunami threat in the Philippines

The earthquake recorded off Northern Sumatra on Wednesday afternoon poses no tsunami threat to the Philippines, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said within minutes of the quake.

In a Tsunami Bulletin posted on their website, Phivolcs said the earthquake was too far away to cause tsunamis along the Philippine coast.

“Phivolcs Tsunami alert Level is 0. This is for information purposes only and there is no tsunami threat to the Philippines from this earthquake,” the bulletin said.

“No destructive Pacific-wide threat exists based on the historical and tsunami data. However, earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coast located within 100 kilometers of the epicenter,” it also said.

The earthquake was recorded west of Northern Sumatra in Indonesia and had a preliminary magnitude of 8.7, Phivolcs said.

According to the Phivolcs website, some of the warning signs of a local tsunami are a felt earthquake, a sudden and unusual change in sea level, and the rumbling sound of approaching waves.