We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.
Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.Help Now >
Large, powerful quakes, Tsunami, washes over hapless Santa Cruz island
FREE Catholic Classes
An astounding swarm of large-magnitude earthquakes have struck the Solomon Islands over the past week, including an 8.0 which created a three foot tsunami that wiped out several island villages and killed residents. The swarm of quakes continues with many aftershocks of 6.0 and greater.
Highlights
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
2/8/2013 (1 decade ago)
Published in Asia Pacific
Keywords: Santa Cruz Island, quakes, ring of fire, aftershocks, tsunami
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - A powerful quake rocked the region on Wednesday, and sent a three-foot tsunami that wiped out several villages on Santa Cruz island. About 15 villages have either been entirely destroyed or substantially damaged, and 7,000 people displaced.
Nine bodies have been recovered in the aftermath and several people remain missing.
The low-lying islands are especially vulnerable to tsunamis.
What makes the quakes in the Solomon's so unusual is the high number of powerful aftershocks which keep hitting the islands. The aftershocks are complicating relief efforts and cracks in roads and runways create safety concerns for aircraft delivering aid personnel and supplies. Several aid flights have been delayed because of aftershocks.
The Solomon Islands have the blessing, and the curse, of being situated along the Ring of Fire, a tectonic boundary that surrounds the perimeter of the Pacific Ocean. Tectonic movements along the boundary have given rise to the Solomon's in the first place and create fertile land for growing crops, which sustain life on the islands.
However, places situated along the boundary from the South Pacific to Japan and the Americas also suffer from periodic, powerful earthquakes that can sometimes spawn tsunamis.
These quakes occur as the various continental plates surrounding the Pacific Plate jostle and grind about, moving at the speed of a few inches per year, on average. The movement does not happen constantly, but rather in spurts and is marked by earthquakes, Most such quakes are small, and hardly felt, but occasionally larger movements occur spawning larger quakes.
Aftershocks will likely continue to strike to Solomon's for months to come, but will slowly diminish in frequency and power over time.
---
'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'
Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online
Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.
-
Mysteries of the Rosary
-
St. Faustina Kowalska
-
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
-
Saint of the Day for Wednesday, Oct 4th, 2023
-
Popular Saints
-
St. Francis of Assisi
-
Bible
-
Female / Women Saints
-
7 Morning Prayers you need to get your day started with God
-
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Sacrifices of Faith: The Pro-Life Legacies of St. Gianna and Jessica Hanna
-
How to love God by caring for our bodies
-
Pope Francis calls for negotiations to End Russia-Ukraine War
-
Pope Francis Contemplates Return to U.S. for United Nations Assembly Address
-
Pope Francis Calls on Faithful to Embrace Faith, Hope, and Charity in New Teaching Series
Daily Catholic
- Daily Readings for Saturday, April 27, 2024
- St. Zita: Saint of the Day for Saturday, April 27, 2024
- Prayer for the Dead # 2: Prayer of the Day for Saturday, April 27, 2024
- Daily Readings for Friday, April 26, 2024
- St. Cletus: Saint of the Day for Friday, April 26, 2024
- Prayer before the Closing of the Day: Prayer of the Day for Friday, April 26, 2024
We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.
Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.Help Now >
Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.
Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.