Quote:
Originally posted by Tony Smith
Some Japanese tourists were kept out of the frame of this pic by a deftly weilded stick:
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Jif
Look what you did now by shakin' that bloody stick...
A TSUNAMI alert has been issued for parts of the Pacific - including Australia - after a strong earthquake near the Solomon Islands.
The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 7.8, jolted the South Pacific Ocean at 6.40am (AEST).
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre has issued a tsunami warning for Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Nauru, Chuuk, New Caledonia, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Australia, Indonesia, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Marshall Island.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology's National Meteorological and Oceanographic Centre said Queensland's Barrier Reef Islands and Willis Island in the Coral Sea could be affected.
Any tsunami could hit Willis Island at 8.30am and Cooktown in far north Queensland about 9.30am.
People have been warned to move out of the water and away from low lying foreshore areas and then listen for further advice from state emergency service authorities.
But the bureau said the warning was based on the earthquake and it was not known if a tsunami was generated.
Today's quake was centred about 350kms west-north-west of the Solomons capital Honiara at a depth of 10km.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
Japan's Meteorological Agency said it was looking into the possibility of tidal waves hitting the Japanese archipelago after the quake.
With Reuters and AAP