Nature
PUBLISHED
10
The Kingdom of Tonga has just experienced a powerful earthquake.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.This comes nearly two weeks after a series of volcanic eruptions from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano and a deadly tsunami.
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.
