Tsunami warning after strong 7.7-magnitude Canada quake

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake in the Queen Charlotte Islands region of Canada last night prompted a widespread tsunami warning in Pacific. As of now, there are no reports of damages or deaths, although an increase in wave height has been measured in Hawaii. At this writing (6 a.m. CDT, or 11 UTC on October 28, 2012), the tsunami warning is still in effect and could stay in effect several more hours.

At first, there was no tsunami warning for Hawaii, although the west coast/Alaska tsunami warning center did issue a regional warning for coasts located near the earthquake. Then, at 7:09 p.m. HST, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for Hawaii, saying:

THIS UPGRADE IS DUE TO THE SEA LEVEL READINGS RECEIVED …

Last night, Gerard Fryer of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center told AP that the largest wave was measured at 5 feet in Maui in the first 45 minutes. This was “smaller than expected,” according to AP, and suggested a statewide evacuation from coastal areas in Hawaii was not necessary.

Here are some details about the earthquake that caused the October 27 tsunami warning:

Event Time
2012-10-28 03:04:10 UTC
2012-10-27 20:04:10 UTC-07:00 at epicenter
2012-10-27 22:04:10 UTC-05:00 system time

Location
52.769°N 131.927°W

Depth = 17.5km (10.9mi)

Nearby Cities
139km (86mi) S of Masset, Canada
202km (126mi) SSW of Prince Rupert, Canada
293km (182mi) SW of Terrace, Canada
556km (345mi) NW of Campbell River, Canada
635km (395mi) SSE of Juneau, Alaska

Bottom line: A 7.7-magnitude earthquake in the Queen Charlotte Islands region of Canada on October 27, 2012 (October 28 at 03:04 UTC) prompted a widespread tsunami warning in Pacific. As of now, there are no reports of damages or deaths, although an increase in wave height has been measured in Hawaii. At this writing (6 a.m. CDT, or 11 UTC on October 28, 2012), the tsunami warning is still in effect and could stay in effect several more hours.