A 7.8 quake hit Tonga early this morning 3.26 am local time. A warning was issued that the Gisborne area could expect a tusnami to hit around 6.20 am. (Indicated by the red arrow). This warning was lifted around the time it was due to hit. Evidently the team in Hawaii were saying you guys just got hit by a tidal wave and NZ Defence were saying… no. We’re actually here and we’re not swiming thanks. There was a certain amount of alarm and consternation and with luck we have a bit of a wake up call for the hoplelssly unorganised. This has turned out to be a timely question from Rodney.
As you can see from the map there’s a reason that this area would have been hit. A sodding great trench that would channel the surge and then go from being 1000 - 1400 meters deep to less than 200 meters in the space of about 2 km. Pretty much designed to make the worlds biggest waterslide.
At present we’re in a wait and see mode but it looks like nothing will happen at this end.
Meanwhile compulsive trouble maker Tom decided to take a holiday a bit closer to ground zero. About 150 k’s from the quakes epicenter in fact. He thought going to the Solomons would be too dangerous at the moment.
Gitcha T-shirts here!
May 3rd, 2006 at 9:39 am
So I’m guessing you haven’t heard from him, then. I read that the electric grid got knocked offline.
May 3rd, 2006 at 9:40 am
The biggest danger is falling coconuts… although why they would be climbing trees at that time of night is a mystery.
May 3rd, 2006 at 10:29 am
Fear not, I have survived to fight another day!
Bloody hell that was a terrifying three minutes - there ought to be a law against the ground acting like the North Atlantic in a heavy swell.
It’s been an absolute miracle that an earthquake that big (7.8 on the richter scale) and close (150km from my hotel room) caused virtually no damage.
I really feared for my life, and if it had gone on much longer I’m fairly sure the hotel would have fallen down around me.
Slight problem exposed - the Tongan eaerthquake monitoring center, which sends out warnings and sounds the tsunami siren turns out not to have a backup generator!
Whacky fun!
A full report just as soon as my legs stop shaking and I get a change of underwear.
May 3rd, 2006 at 10:53 am
An investigation has be launched into why it is that various South Pacific Island seem to suffer various forms of unrest when in close proximity to one “Tom Paine”.
Judgement of God has not been ruled out at this stage.
Might want to rethink those “nah nah nah I’m off to the islands for a holiday” posts in future.
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:43 am
Well, I for one am delighted to hear that “Tom Paine” is shaken, but not stirred.
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:53 am
Yeah, it’s good to know you’re all right.
Look at it this way, Tom. You’re gonna have a hell of a podcast for next week.
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:54 am
Remember when I said you should swing by the next time you’re on vacation in the States?
Well, um… could you avoid Texas?
May 3rd, 2006 at 2:37 pm
Oh he just HAD to top Richards falling out of a tree…..
May 3rd, 2006 at 2:57 pm
I’d like to join Lair in his wish. Uh Tom, we here in the Pacific Northwest of the USA are expecting a very large quake sometime in the future, time unknown. Quakes of about 9.0 on the Richter scale seem to occur here about every 300 or so years, and we are overdue for another. I hear the East Coast is MUCH nicer, so would you please go there if you visit the States? Thank you for your cooperatioin.
May 3rd, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Kidding aside it’s good to hear that you were not injured.
May 3rd, 2006 at 4:58 pm
Glad your’e ok, Tom. At least you have some extra material for your next podcast :)
May 3rd, 2006 at 6:21 pm
Whew. Glad you’re all right!
We’re sitting right on top of a fault line and we’re not at all prepared for the next big one, so maybe if you came for a visit, it might wake some people up around here.
May 3rd, 2006 at 11:37 pm
You can come back to Richmond, Tom. I’m not afraid of earthquakes.
(Besides, I don’t live near any tall buildings, so I don’t care.)
May 4th, 2006 at 1:27 am
We get those rumbles sometimes here in Los Angeles. Glad you’re ok. Only casualty seems to be a pair of shorts. :-)
May 4th, 2006 at 2:07 am
We’re pretty geologically stable in Dallas. Just don’t come out during tornado season. In the past few years there was a massive F5 tornado about 80 miles south and another F5 of similar strength about 80 miles north. I fear God may be “ranging” Dallas.
May 4th, 2006 at 8:08 am
Washington, DC, also is a pretty safe place to visit. The only major natural disaster we get here is an occasional hurricane. Unnatural disasters, though are another thing, entirely!
May 4th, 2006 at 8:36 am
Michael, wouldn’t it be preferable to know when the big one is coming so you can prepare for it? I say get it over with. Move everyone out and invite Tom over for a… fishing trip. or a tour of the boeing plant.
Biggest earthquake I was in was about 2.1. It made my computer wobble a bit, and that was more than enough for me…
May 4th, 2006 at 3:29 pm
Just as well the rolling stones weren’t there at the time. a few more of them might have been shaken out of the coconut palms at 3am in the morning.
May 5th, 2006 at 12:30 am
As opposed to 3 a.m. in the afternoon.
/pet peeve.
May 5th, 2006 at 12:58 am
3 a.m. in the afternoon could have been a real bummer.
May 5th, 2006 at 8:42 am
“3 a.m. in the afternoon”
Time to stop drinking.