An Mw = 8.0 earthquake occurred near the US Territory of American Samoa (in
the South Pacific Ocean) at 1:48 EDT this afternoon. This earthquake has
generated a 3 meter (10 foot) tsunami which was recorded by a tide gauge at
Pago Pago, American Samoa (Figure 1) and has triggered numerous DART
(Deep ocean Assessment ands Reporting of Tsunamis:
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/dart.shtml) buoys in the Pacific Ocean. As of this
report (4:00 PM EDT) Hawaii is currently under a tsunami watch.

While neither this earthquake or its tsunami pose a threat to South Carolina, we
at the South Carolina Earthquake Education and Preparedness program point out
that, while more rare than in the Pacific, large earthquakes and associated
tsunamis have occurred in the Atlantic Ocean basin.

To view our press release click here:

Press Release from SCEEP September 29, 2009