Media coverage: Double earthquake caused Pacific tsunami

The tsunami which devasted Tonga and Samoa in September of last year was caused by two almost simultaneous earthquakes, shows research led by GNS scientists.

Only one of the earthquakes was originally detected, but it is now thought that one of the earthquakes triggered the other – the interaction of the two explains the characteristics of the tsunami which had baffled scientists: strange arrival times, polarities and amplitudes.

Media coverage:

Dom Post: Two quakes caused Samoan tsunami – scientists

Newstalk ZB: Double trouble caused Tsunami

NZ Herald: Double jolts made tsunami fierce

Radio NZ: Pacific tsunami caused by rare double quake

3 News: Samoa tsunami caused by double-quake – research