USGS official says tsunami unlikely but best to be cautious

Bruce Pressgrave, a geophysicist of the US Geological Survey, said it was unlikely that a tsunami would be generated since this type of earthquake, which mainly involved the horizontal movement of the earth’s blocks, does not generate a column of water that could cause a tsunami. “There’s always a hazard but with this kind of quake (a strike slip mechanism) it reduces the risk of a tsunami,” he told BBC . [caption id=“attachment_272488” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Satellite image of location of epicentre of earthquake. AP”] [/caption] While it was hoped that there would be no tsunami it was prudent to issue a tsunami warning given the magnitude of the earthquake, he said. As per their calculations there here had been no vertical thrust of the earth’s blocks which created the tsunami waves,  the USGS official said. The only possibility was if the massive earthquake had resulted in an underwater landslide which in turn could cause a tsunami, Pressgrave said, adding it remained unlikely. The USGS said the earthquake was about 8.7 magnitude on the Richter scale and the epicentre was 20 miles (33 kilometers) beneath the ocean floor around 308 miles (495 kilometers) from the provincial capital of Banda Aceh. Many countries with coasts bordering the Indian Ocean have issued tsunami warnings and asked citizens to stay away from the coastline as a precaution. What are strike slip earthquakes? Check it out here