Two Massive Pacific Earthquakes Strike 15 Minutes Apart

There has been a massive earthquake near the Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean Thursday morning, with a second quake following about fifteen minutes later.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued a warning for Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Kiribati, Kosrae, wallis-Futuna and Howland-Baker. The initial readings according to seismologists are in the 7.8 and 7.3 magnitude range as reported by the United States Geological Survey. The preliminary reading for the first quake was 8.1 magnitude. It is not known if a tsunami has formed in the area but a earthquake like these two increase the risk of the killer tidal waves. Both of the earthquakes are said to have been extremely shallow.