A massive earthquake erupted along a fault line near the Solomon Islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean on Thursday. The quake was originally detected as a magnitude 8 by the USGS, but has since been reduced to a 7.8 on the Moment-Magnitude scale. The quake was almost immediately followed by a 5.5-magnitude aftershock.
Immediately after the quake, a tsunami watch was issued for Hawaii from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. After investigating, the center determined there was no threat to the island state.
Few reports have come in from the Soloman Islands, but a tsunami is possible there, although in nearby Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology has given the all-clear.
Thursday’s quake is tied for the strongest in 2016 with the Ecuador, New Zealand and Indonesia quakes. More than 650 people died when the 7.8 earthquake hit Ecuador in April.
