The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) issued a tsunami threat message after a preliminary magnitude 7.2 (Mwp) earthquake near Vanuatu late Friday ET, classifying the event as a potential tsunami threat.
The alert lists the earthquake’s origin at 10:31:27 p.m. ET Friday, Oct. 23 (02:31:27 UTC Saturday, Oct. 24). It places the event at 13.821 degrees south and 165.725 degrees east, with a depth of 10 kilometers.
PTWC issued the message at 10:37:59 p.m. ET Friday (02:37:59 UTC Saturday), roughly six and a half minutes after the listed origin time. The alert names Vanuatu as the event location and labels its status “Tsunami Potential Threat.”
The bulletin series covers far-reaching tsunami events in the Pacific Basin when they are verified or considered capable of causing destruction. The alert gives the earthquake’s magnitude as a preliminary estimate.
