The magnitude 8.1 quake struck the Kermadec Islands region at 9:28 a.m. Hawaii time.
The agency said it’s investigating whether the event poses a threat to Hawaii. If tsunamis are generated, the first waves would reach the Hawaiian Island chain at 4:35 p.m. Hawaii time.
The agency issued a tsunami warning for American Samoa but then downgraded it to an advisory.
A warning means tsunamis with the potential to generate widespread inundation are expected or occurring.
A pretty interesting day in the South Pacific. The M8.1 near Kermadec looks like a standard subduction interface event – the main plate tectonic boundary. The M7.4 at the same location ~2hrs earlier is clearly a foreshock. The M7.3 near New Zealand is 800km away, more ambiguous
— Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) March 4, 2021
The M7.3 is also near the plate boundary but has a different focal mechanism so doesn’t look like an interface event. It is far enough away that it is at the very edge of where we see statistical evidence of triggering. “Did it trigger the M8.1?” – seismologists will be arguing
— Dr. Lucy Jones (@DrLucyJones) March 4, 2021
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