Federal officials are reviewing potential tsunami threats to the U.S. and Canada after a massive earthquake struck an area southeast of the Loyalty Islands near Australia on Wednesday morning.
The ChronicleFederal officials said a massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck east of Australia on Wednesday morning posed no threat to the West Coast after the available data was checked.
The quake, which occurred in an area southeast of the Loyalty Islands, was measured at a depth of just over 6 kilometers below the surface of the ocean, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Shortly after the quake was recorded, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials said there was “no tsunami alert, advice, watch or threat” for California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and British Columbia, Canada.
NOAA has issued a tsunami alert for the South Pacific country of Vanuatu and for Fiji.
At least four other moderate quakes struck near the Loyalty Islands on Wednesday, according to USGS data, each about 6 in magnitude.
Dominic Fracassa is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @dominicfracassa