Pacific rattled by major quake

Pacific rattled by major quake

Homes destroyed in towns near epicenter, tsunami warning cancelled

BALTIMORE | February 5, 2013

A major earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands Wednesday morning producing a tsunami.
Credit: USGS

A major 8.0 magnitude earthquake off the Solomon Islands Wednesday prompted tsunami warnings and watches across a wide swath of the South Pacific.

The tsunami warning, which originally stretched across the South Pacific, was later cancelled, but early reports indicated many homes near the epicenter were damaged or destroyed.

The earthquake which was reported at a depth of 3.6 miles near the Santa Cruz islands and about 50 miles west of Lata, Solomon Islands, according to the USGS. Multiple aftershocks were reported.

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