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Breaking: Tonga Hit By 6.2 Magnitude Earthquake

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Dr. Alfredo Carpineti

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Dr. Alfredo Carpineti

Senior Staff Writer & Space Correspondent

Alfredo (he/him) has a PhD in Astrophysics on galaxy evolution and a Master's in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces.

Senior Staff Writer & Space Correspondent

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Breaking News banner. Image Credit: IFLScience

Image Credit: IFLScience

The Kingdom of Tonga has just experienced a powerful earthquake.

This comes nearly two weeks after a series of volcanic eruptions from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano and a deadly tsunami.

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The United States Geological Survey estimated the event to have a magnitude of 6.2 and a depth of 4.2 kilometers (2.6 miles). It took place at 06:40 UTC on January 27, 225 kilometers (140 miles) West-Northwest from Pangai, the capital of the Hapai Group of Tongan islands.

The earthquake appears unrelated to the increased volcanic activity ofHunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’pai through December that reached its apex in the eruption of January 15. This released an energy equivalent to 500 Hiroshima bombs and made the atmosphere ring like a bell. The quake was 200 kilometers northwest of the volcano.

The Pacific kingdom is still struggling with telecommunications in the aftermath of the tsunami, which damaged a submarine cable. Currently, three people have been confirmed dead and 14 injured – but unfortunately, several more remain missing.


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