tag

Friday, April 03, 2026 | Daily Newspaper published by GPPC Doha, Qatar.

Tag Results for "USGS" (6 articles)

Police officers look at a building of the North Sumatra's National Sports Committee of Indonesia  damaged following a severe 7.4-magnitude offshore quake in Manado, North Sulawesi, Thursday. (AFP)
International

7.4-magnitude quake off Indonesia kills one, tsunami warning lifted

A major 7.4-magnitude quake struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia Thursday, killing at least one person, causing waves of up to 75cm (2.5 feet) and triggering a tsunami warning that was subsequently lifted.The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the tremor hit at a shallow depth of 35 kilometres in the Molucca Sea between the Sulawesi and Maluku island groups in the early morning.One person was killed when a building collapsed in the city of Manado in North Sulawesi province, a local search and rescue official told AFP."The quake was felt strongly and around Manado... one person died and one person had a leg injury," George Leo Mercy Randang told AFP by telephone.The victim was "buried under the rubble" of a collapsed building, he said.The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) initially said hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 1,000km (621 miles) of the epicentre along the coasts of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.Within half an hour of the quake, waves up to 75cm were recorded in North Minahasa and 20cm in Bitung, both in the north of Sulawesi island, according to Indonesia's BMKG geological agency.Thirty-centimetre waves were also logged in North Maluku province.The PTWC lifted its warning just over two hours after the tremor, saying the tsunami threat "has now passed."Ternate resident Budi Nurgianto, 42, said he was inside his house when the tremor struck, sending people panicking outside."The quake was felt strongly. I heard it first from the walls of the house that shook," he said."When I went outside, there were many people outside. They were panicked. The quake was felt (for) quite long, more than a minute."I even saw some people leaving their house without having finished their shower."BMKG head Teuku Faisal Fathani told journalists in the capital Jakarta there were 11 aftershocks, the biggest with a magnitude of 5.5.An AFP journalist in Manado on Sulawesi, about 300km west of Ternate by sea, said the shaking woke him and others in the city of around 450,000 people."I immediately woke up and left my house. People (were) immediately scrambling outside. There is a school and the pupils rushed outside," he said.The shaking persisted for "quite long" but he did not witness "significant damage", he added.The PTWC had initially warned that tsunami waves of up to one metre were possible for parts of Indonesia, with smaller waves possible for the Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Guam and Palau."Government agencies responsible for threatened coastal areas should take action to inform and instruct any coastal populations at risk," the agency said.The Japan Meteorological Agency said it expected "slight changes" in the sea level along the Pacific coast from northern Hokkaido to southern Okinawa, but has not issued any warnings.The earthquake centres of the Philippines and Malaysia have also not issued tsunami alerts.Indonesia and neighbouring countries experience frequent earthquakes due to their location in the Pacific "Ring of Fire" — an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.In 2004, a magnitude 9.1 quake struck Aceh province, causing a tsunami and killing more than 170,000 people in Indonesia. 

Gulf Times
International

5.2-Magnitude earthquake strikes Solomon Islands in Pacific Ocean

An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale struck on Thursday the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean.The US Geological Survey (USGS) said that the epicenter of the earthquake occurred 83 km west of Kirakira, at a depth of 59.8 km.There have been no reports of casualties or material damage due to the earthquake so far.The Solomon Islands are located in a region known for seismic activity and strong earthquakes.

A Richter scale measuring earthquake. AFP/File
International

4.6-Magnitude earthquake strikes Papua New Guinea

An earthquake measuring 4.6 on the Richter Scale struck Papua New Guinea on Wednesday. The earthquake's epicenter was located 66 km west of the city of Lae, at a depth of 58.5 km, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported. Papua New Guinea is highly prone to earthquakes as it lies within the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region known for intense seismic and volcanic activity. In February 2018, a devastating earthquake struck the country, killing at least 100 people and triggering massive landslides that buried dozens of villages.

Gulf Times
International

Magnitude 4.8 earthquake shakes Chile

An earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale struck Chile on Tuesday. The US Geological Survey (USGS) reported that the earthquake occurred 70 kilometers northeast of Calama City in northern Chile, at a depth of 128 kilometers. In 2010, an earthquake of 8.8 magnitude followed by a tsunami struck central and southern Chile, killing 500 people. Chile is located in an area called the "Ring of Fire," an arc of faults surrounding the Pacific Ocean basin, and is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Gulf Times
International

5.4-Magnitude earthquake strikes South Sandwich Islands

An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale struck on Wednesday the South Sandwich Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 10 km, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported. There were no reports of casualties or material damage as a result of the earthquake. The South Sandwich Islands are an archipelago within the UK's sovereign territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

Gulf Times
International

4.9-Magnitude earthquake strikes Papua New Guinea

An earthquake measuring 4.9 on the Richter Scale struck Papua New Guinea on Sunday. The earthquake's epicenter was located 79 km from the city of Popondetta, at a depth of 78.9 km, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported. Papua New Guinea lies within the Ring of Fire, a vast area encircling the Pacific Ocean that is known for its intense seismic and volcanic activity. The region contains about 90% of the world's active volcanoes and frequently experiences powerful earthquakes. In February 2018, Papua New Guinea was struck by a devastating earthquake that killed at least 100 people and triggered landslides that buried dozens of villages.