CNN) — A tsunami watch has been issued after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean near India’s Andaman Islands, authorities said.
The watch covers India, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia and Bangladesh, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The quake struck at 1:55 a.m. (3:55 p.m. ET), about 163 miles (262 km) north of Port Blair, Andaman Islands, and 225 miles south-southwest of Pathein, Myanmar, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Its focus was about 20 miles below the Earth’s surface. In general, earthquakes centered closer to the Earth’s surface produce stronger shaking and can cause more damage than those further underground.
“Earthquakes of this size have the potential to generate a destructive local tsunami and sometimes a destructive regional tsunami along coasts located usually no more than a thousand kilometers from the earthquake epicenter,” said the bulletin from the tsunami warning center.
“It is not known that a tsunami was generated. This watch is based only on the earthquake evaluation. Authorities in the region should take appropriate action in response to this possibility.”
The estimated tsunami travel time would be an hour or less to the coasts of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, according to a bulletin issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
Please read the full article at CNN- Tsunami watch issued after Indian Ocean quake – CNN.com.
Latest Watch Information for USGS –
TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 003
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 2124Z 10 AUG 2009
THIS BULLETIN FOR ALL AREAS OF THE INDIAN OCEAN.
CORRECTION TO PREVIOUS BULLETIN #2:
NO TSUNAMI HAS YET BEEN OBSERVED
... A REGIONAL TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT ...
A TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR
INDIA / MYANMAR / INDONESIA / THAILAND / BANGLADESH
FOR OTHER AREAS OF THE INDIAN OCEAN REGION...THIS MESSAGE IS FOR
INFORMATION ONLY AT THIS TIME.
THIS BULLETIN IS ISSUED AS ADVICE TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. ONLY
NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS REGARDING THE OFFICIAL STATE OF ALERT IN THEIR AREA AND
ANY ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN IN RESPONSE.
AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS
ORIGIN TIME - 1956Z 10 AUG 2009
COORDINATES - 14.1 NORTH 93.0 EAST
LOCATION - ANDAMAN ISLANDS INDIA REGION
MAGNITUDE - 7.7
EVALUATION
EARTHQUAKES OF THIS SIZE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO GENERATE A
DESTRUCTIVE LOCAL TSUNAMI AND SOMETIMES A DESTRUCTIVE REGIONAL
TSUNAMI ALONG COASTS LOCATED USUALLY NO MORE THAN A THOUSAND
KILOMETERS FROM THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AREAS FURTHER FROM THE
EPICENTER COULD EXPERIENCE SMALL SEA LEVEL CHANGES AND STRONG OR
UNUSUAL COASTAL CURRENTS.
HOWEVER - IT IS NOT KNOWN THAT A TSUNAMI WAS GENERATED. THIS
WATCH IS BASED ONLY ON THE EARTHQUAKE EVALUATION. AUTHORITIES IN
THE REGION SHOULD TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THIS
POSSIBILITY. THE WATCH WILL NOT EXPAND TO OTHER AREAS OF THE
INDIAN OCEAN UNLESS ADDITIONAL DATA ARE RECEIVED TO WARRANT SUCH
AN EXPANSION.
ESTIMATED INITIAL TSUNAMI WAVE ARRIVAL TIMES AT FORECAST POINTS
WITHIN THE WARNING AND WATCH AREAS ARE GIVEN BELOW. ACTUAL
ARRIVAL TIMES MAY DIFFER AND THE INITIAL WAVE MAY NOT BE THE
LARGEST. A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF WAVES AND THE TIME BETWEEN
SUCCESSIVE WAVES CAN BE FIVE MINUTES TO ONE HOUR.
LOCATION FORECAST POINT COORDINATES ARRIVAL TIME
-------------------------------- ------------ ------------
INDIA NORTH ANDAMAN 13.3N 92.6E 2021Z 10 AUG
LITTLE ANDAMAN 10.7N 92.3E 2053Z 10 AUG
PORT BLAIR 11.9N 92.7E 2121Z 10 AUG
GREAT NICOBAR 7.1N 93.6E 2136Z 10 AUG
KAKINADA 17.2N 82.7E 2205Z 10 AUG
BALESHWAR 21.6N 87.3E 2231Z 10 AUG
MYANMAR PYINKAYAING 15.9N 94.3E 2047Z 10 AUG
CHEDUBA ISLAND 18.9N 93.4E 2100Z 10 AUG
SITTWE 20.0N 92.9E 2135Z 10 AUG
MERGUI 12.8N 98.4E 2243Z 10 AUG
YANGON 16.5N 96.4E 2321Z 10 AUG
INDONESIA BANDA ACEH 5.5N 95.1E 2204Z 10 AUG
THAILAND PHUKET 8.0N 98.2E 2244Z 10 AUG
KO PHRA THONG 9.1N 98.2E 2257Z 10 AUG
KO TARUTAO 6.6N 99.6E 0012Z 11 AUG
BANGLADESH CHITTAGONG 22.7N 91.2E 2340Z 10 AUG
ADDITIONAL BULLETINS WILL BE ISSUED BY THE PACIFIC TSUNAMI
WARNING CENTER FOR THIS EVENT AS MORE INFORMATION
BECOMES AVAILABLE.
THE JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY MAY ISSUE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
FOR THIS EVENT. IN THE CASE OF CONFLICTING INFORMATION...THE
MORE CONSERVATIVE INFORMATION SHOULD BE USED FOR SAFETY.