Updated at 6:32 p.m., Sunday, December 17, 2006
Moderate quakes rattle Tonga
Advertiser Staff
This day had a rocking start in terms of earthquakes throughout the Pacific Basin.
A pair of temblors shook Tonga at 2:40 and 2:51 this morning, Hawai'i time. The first measured 5.0 magnitude and the second, 5.9.
The were no reports of damage from the quakes, which occurred at a depth of about 18 miles.
Overall, there have been seven quakes in the past 10 hours throughout the Pacific area, ranging in magnitude from 2.7 to 5.9, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's Earthquake Center.
That number, which is not out of the ordinary, includes quakes of 2.7 and 2.8 magnitude that occurred off the coast of Southern and Northern California, respectively.
