The Solomon Islands meteorological service says there is no tsunami threat for Solomon Islands after a powerful 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Kermadec Island region, approximately 1,400 km northeast of New Zealand.
The update was issued by the Solomon Islands meteorological service at 9am this morning, Friday 5th March 2021. The update stated that the undersea earthquake of magnitude 8.1 occurred at 6.28am (SI time) today morning in the Kermadec Island region of New Zealand.
It is the third quake centred in the Kermadec Islands region this morning. The first magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck at 12.27am (SI time), followed by a magnitude 7.4 at 4.41am (SI time).
Earthquake expert at Victoria University, John Townend, told The AM Show that because of the size of the most recent earthquake - magnitude 8.1 - the volume of water that has potentially been released at the seabed is "very large".
He said that means the reach of the tsunami is "correspondingly quite large".
"As it comes into New Zealand from the deep ocean and interacts with the coast, it will bend and refract and that's why we are announcing the warning extending around the west from Cape Reinga and all the way down the east coast as well."
Townend told The AM Show to expect a "huge surge" of water and that the first wave might not necessarily be the biggest.
The Pacific Tsunami warning center says that Tsunami waves reaching 1 to 3 meters above the tide level are possible along some coasts of New Caledonia and Vanuatu.