Villages 'wiped out' by Samoa quake tsunami:report

WELLINGTON (AFP) – Villages were "wiped out" by a tsunami that hit the South Pacific after a huge quake off the coast of Samoa, and people had been reported missing, a reporter for Radio Polynesia told Radio New Zealand.He said they were receiving information of widespread destruction."Damaged houses, villages being wiped out, there are speculations there are some missing people out there but no confirmation of that yet," he said.

Pacific Tsunami Travel Times....

A tsunami travel time map and table generated by the United States National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Weather Service West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center shows projected travel times for the effects of an earthquake that the center measured as having a preliminary magnitude of 8.3 occurring in the Samoa Islands Region of the Pacific Ocean on September 29, 2009. The center warns that travel time maps and tables indicate forecasted times only, not that a wave traveling those distances has actually been generated. The center reported that sea level observations indicate a tsunami was generated which may have been destructive along coasts in the source region.
(REUTERS/NOAA/NWS/West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center/Handout)

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Pacific tsunami warning cancelled, Samoa takes brunt

LOS ANGELES/WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Authorities canceled a Pacific tsunami warning on Wednesday after a huge sub-sea quake sent waves over the Samoa islands, reportedly killing about 14 people but falling short of a regional disaster.Tsunami waves hit American Samoa, a U.S. territory, killing 14 people, and also struck the nearby nation of Samoa, killing an unknown number of people, local media and officials said. There were unconfirmed reports of waves taller than 4 meters (13 ft). "As of right now, everybody is up in the high mountain ranges," said Senetenari Malele, announcer for local radio station Showers of Blessings. He said the local weather authority had released a statement with 14 dead in the last hour...

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Pacific tsunami kills people in Western Samoa: police

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - A South Pacific tsunami killed an unknown number of people in Western Samoa on Wednesday, a local police spokeswoman said, as the island nation's people fled to higher ground after a big sub-sea quake."The tsunami has struck some parts of the country," a local police spokeswoman said by phone. Asked if there had been any deaths, she added: "Yes" and then hung up...

7.9 magnitude quake sparks tsunami warning for New Zealand

A tsunami warning was issued for New Zealand and other small Pacific islands after a major 7.9 magnitude quake struck in the ocean off American Samoa, U.S. government agencies said on Tuesday.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a branch of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, issued the warning after the quake hit about 120 miles southwest of the remote Pacific island of American Samoa. It struck at a depth of 20.5 miles.A tsunami watch was in effect for Hawaii, Papua New Guinea and other small Pacific islands.The agency noted that its warning did not mean a tsunami had necessarily been generated by the quake. The warning was issued because a quake of this magnitude had the power to generate a destructive tsunami, it said...

5.6 Mb - NORTHERN COOK ISLANDS

5.6 Mb - NORTHERN COOK ISLANDS
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude
5.6 Mb
Date-Time
29 Sep 2009 18:20:27 UTC
29 Sep 2009 07:20:27 near epicenter
29 Sep 2009 12:20:27 standard time in your timezone
Location
12.191S 161.602W
Depth
10 km
Distances
1011 km (628 miles) ENE (78 degrees) of PAGO PAGO, American Samoa
1423 km (884 miles) WNW (293 degrees) of PAPEETE, Tahiti, French Polynesia
Location Uncertainty
Horizontal: 80.0 km; Vertical
Parameters
Nph = 28; Dmin = 999.9 km; Rmss = 1.66 seconds; Gp = 162°M-type = Mb; Version = 6
Event ID
US 2009mdbp
For updates, maps, and technical information, see:

Event Page or USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
National Earthquake Information CenterU.S. Geological Survey

http://neic.usgs.gov//

Tsunami warning issued for New Zealand, other islands

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A tsunami warning was issued on Tuesday for New Zealand, American Samoa and other small Pacific islands, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a branch of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

7.9 Mw - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION

7.9 Mw - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION
Preliminary Earthquake Report
Magnitude
7.9 Mw
Date-Time
29 Sep 2009 17:48:19 UTC
29 Sep 2009 06:48:19 near epicenter
29 Sep 2009 11:48:19 standard time in your timezone
Location
15.556S 172.302W
Depth
85 km
Distances
204 km (127 miles) SSW (197 degrees) of APIA, Samoa
224 km (139 miles) SW (230 degrees) of PAGO PAGO, American Samoa
388 km (241 miles) NNE (28 degrees) of Neiafu, Tonga
2432 km (1511 miles) W (272 degrees) of PAPEETE, Tahiti, French Polynesia
Location Uncertainty
Horizontal: 12.7 km; Vertical 34.0 km
Parameters
Nph = 58; Dmin = 999.9 km; Rmss = 1.17 seconds; Gp = 54°M-type = Mw; Version = 6
Event ID
US 2009mdbi ***This event supersedes event AT00424649.
For updates, maps, and technical information, see:

Event Page or USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
National Earthquake Information CenterU.S. Geological Survey

http://neic.usgs.gov//

.No tsunami expected on West Coast from sea quake

LOS ANGELES – Experts say a magnitude-7.9 quake in the South Pacific is not expected to produce a tsunami along the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia or Alaska.The quake occurred at 10:48 a.m. PDT Tuesday in the Samoa Islands region.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's West Coast and Alaska Tsunamia Warning Center says it was a strong earthquake but no tsunami warning, watch or advisory is in effect.....

Magnitude 8.0 - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION

2009 September 29 17:48:10 UTC
Earthquake Details
Magnitude
8.0
Date-Time
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 17:48:10 UTC
Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 06:48:10 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
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7.9 magnitude quake strikes off American Samoa

WASHINGTON-A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck off American Samoa on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.The epicenter of the quake was located 120 miles southwest of the remote Pacific island. It struck at a depth of 20.5 miles.An earthquake of this magnitude is capable of causing a tsunami, although there were no immediate reports of this occurring.