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No Pacific-wide tsunami from large quake off Indonesia

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An earthquake of preliminary magnitude 7.3 struck northwest of Kota Ternate, Indonesia Friday evening.
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A powerful earthquake struck off Indonesia but did not generate a Pacific-wide tsunami that threatened Hawaii, officials said Friday afternoon.

Indonesia’s meteorological agency said a tsunami wave of 3.54 inches washed onto the small island of Jailolo but caused no damage. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later lifted its advisory for potential hazardous waves for coastal communities.

The quake, with a magnitude of 7.1, struck at 2:31 a.m. Saturday at the epicenter (4:31 p.m. Friday in Hawaii) about 97 miles northwest of Kota Ternate, Indonesia, at a depth of about 22 miles.

"Based on all available data a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is not expected and there is no tsunami threat to Hawaii," said a bulletin from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach.

The quake had the potential to generate tsunami waves along nearby coasts, the agency said. However, more than 2 hours after the quake, PTWC officials said the danger had passed. "Minor sea-level fluctuations may occur in coastal areas near the earthquake over the next few hours and continuing for up to several hours," the agency warned.

The quake was strongly felt in several cities in eastern Indonesia, sending many people to run from homes and other buildings, officials and residents said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the quake.

The world’s largest archipelago, Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. 

In 2004, a monster temblor off Aceh shores triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries. Most of the deaths were in Aceh.

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