A massive earthquake erupted along a fault line near the Solomon Islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean on Thursday. The quake was originally detected as a magnitude-8 by the U.S. Geological Service, but has since been reduced to a 7.8 on the Moment-Magnitude scale.
It was followed by a 5.5-magnitude quake, and aftershocks continue to roll through. Immediately after the quake, a tsunami watch was issued for Hawaii by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. Water height fluctuations were recorded by at least three surrounding buoys, but after investigating, the center determined there was no threat to the island state. Read more at Washington Post.
Earthquakes are a common occurrence, rumbling below Earth's surface thousands of times every day. But major earthquakes are less common. Here are some things to do to prepare for an earthquake and what to do once the ground starts shaking shared by Environment.nationalgeographic.com.