Two powerful earthquakes rock the South Pacific near Vanuatu, triggering a tsunami alert

October 8th, 2009 New quakes, small tsunami panic Pacific islanders WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Thousands of panicked South Pacific islanders raced away from coastlines after a series of strong earthquakes rocked the region and generated a small tsunami Thursday, just over a week after a massive wave killed 178 people in the Samoas and Tonga. There were no immediate reports of damage, and tsunami warnings for 11 nations and territories were soon canceled.

October 7th, 2009 Powerful 7.8 quake off Vanuatu, tsunami alertWELLINGTON, New Zealand — Two powerful earthquakes rocked the South Pacific near the Vanuatu archipelago Thursday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported, triggering a regional tsunami alert.

October 7th, 2009 Small tsunami causes Pacific islanders to fleeWELLINGTON, New Zealand — Thousands of panicked South Pacific islanders raced away from the coastline after three strong earthquakes rocked the region and generated a small tsunami Thursday, just over a week after a massive wave killed 178 people in the Samoas and Tonga. There were no immediate reports of damage, and all tsunami warnings and watches were soon canceled.

October 7th, 2009 Small tsunami forms in Pacific, warnings canceledWELLINGTON, New Zealand — Three powerful earthquakes rocked the South Pacific near the Vanuatu archipelago Thursday, generating a small tsunami just over a week after another, massive wave killed 178 people in the Samoas and Tonga. There were no immediate reports of damage, and all tsunami warnings and watches for the Pacific were canceled two hours after they were first issued.

October 7th, 2009 SYDNEY - The tsunami warning issued after two powerful earthquakes rocked the South Pacific near the Vanuatu archipelago has been cancelled, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said Wednesday. The warning was issued after a 7.8 magnitude quake followed by a 7.1 tremor near the Vanuatu archipelago forced residents across the region to flee to higher ground.

October 7th, 2009 WELLINGTON - New Zealand civil defence authorities downgraded an initial tsunami warning after three big quakes hit the South Pacific Thursday, saying there was no confirmation that a tsunami had been created. Any tsunami was unlikely to be destructive for New Zealand, they said.

October 7th, 2009 Tsunami warnings canceled in PacificWELLINGTON, New Zealand — The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has canceled all tsunami warnings and watches throughout the Pacific. The cancellations came two hours after the alerts were first posted Wednesday.

September 30th, 2009 'Survivor' not harmed by Pacific quake, tsunamiLOS ANGELES — "Survivor" is safe in Samoa. A spokeswoman for the CBS reality show says no crew members were harmed by the powerful earthquake that struck the South Pacific between Samoa and American Samoa around dawn Tuesday, sending large tsunami waves ashore.

September 30th, 2009 Other earthquakes that have triggered tsunamisA look at other earthquakes that have triggered tsunamis in previous years: — September 2007: A 7.8-magnitude earthquake rattles Sumatra island, triggering regional tsunami alerts and damaging scores of buildings. — September 2007: An earthquake measured at a magnitude of 8.4 near Sumatra triggers a wave in the coastal city of Padang.

September 30th, 2009 Residents flee tsunami after strong quake in SamoaPAGO PAGO, American Samoa — A powerful 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the South Pacific between Samoa and American Samoa around dawn Tuesday, sending terrified residents fleeing for higher ground as a tsunami swept ashore, flattening at least one village. There were no immediate reports of fatalities.

September 30th, 2009 7.9 quake hits South Pacific, tsunami alert issued APIA, Samoa — The U.S. Geological Survey says a powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake has struck in the South Pacific between Samoa and American Samoa.

September 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON/WELLINGTON - An 8.3-magnitude earthquake struck off American Samoa Tuesday triggering a three-metre tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii confirmed, demolishing villages on low-lying islands in the Pacific state of Samoa. The quake, originally estimated at a magnitude of 7.9, was upgraded to the level of a "great quake" and aftershocks were continuing, Radio New Zealand reported.

July 25th, 2009 CANBERRA - A powerful earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale rattled Bougainville island of Papua New Guinea Saturday morning but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualty, seismologists said. The quake, which struck at 11:42 a.m.

July 15th, 2009 WELLINGTON - A powerful earthquake estimated between 6.6 and 8.2 on the Richter scale rocked southern New Zealand Wednesday, forcing authorities to issue a tsunami warning. New Zealand seismologists said the temblor measured 6.6 but reports from the US Geological Survey said it was 7.8 and another measurement put it at 8.2, according to a local civil defence official.

April 21st, 2009 Moderate earthquake strikes near VanuatuSYDNEY — A moderate earthquake has struck near the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu, but no tsunami warning has been issued and there are no immediate reports of injury or damage. The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude 5.9 quake struck Tuesday 43 miles (69 kilometers) east of the city of Isangel, at a depth of 22 miles (35 kilometers).