The primary tectonic feature near Samoa is the northernmost extent of the Tonga Trench where the Pacific plate is being subducted beneath the Australian plate. The trench strikes south-southeast between New Zealand and Samona, then turns sharply to the west. Its close proximity makes the Samoan Islands prone to tsunami that are generated during subduction events.[1]
Earthquakes
edit| Date | Region | Coords | Mag. | MMI | Deaths | Injuries | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-09-29 | 15°31′S 172°02′W / 15.52°S 172.03°W | 8.1 Mw | 189 | Hundreds | Moderate tsunami | |||
| 1977-04-02 | 16°42′S 172°06′W / 16.7°S 172.1°W | 7.6 Ms | VI | Limited damage / tsunami | [2] | |||
| 1917-06-25 | 15°05′S 173°00′W / 15.08°S 173°W | 8.5 Mw | Large tsunami | |||||
| Note: The inclusion criteria for adding events are based on WikiProject Earthquakes' notability guideline that was developed for stand alone articles. The principles described also apply to lists. In summary, only damaging, injurious, or deadly events should be recorded. | ||||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Yeats, R. (2012), Active Faults of the World, Cambridge University Press, pp. 479, 280, ISBN 978-0521190855
- ^ NGDC (1972), Significant Earthquake Database (Data Set), National Geophysical Data Center, NOAA, doi:10.7289/V5TD9V7K