A TSUNAMI warning has been issued for the east coast of Australia after a strong earthquake near the Solomon Islands.
Residents on Queensland's Barrier Reef Islands and Willis Island in the Coral Sea were first placed on alert today and told to leave low-lying areas.
But the Australian Bureau of Meteorology later extended the tsunami warning to Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island and the whole eastern coast as far south as Tasmania.
Barry Hirshorn from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said he had been hearing rumours of 20 houses washed away close to the epicentre of the quake, but further away the tsunami was down to less than half a metre.
Geoscience Australia said there were unlikely to be major problems on the far north Queensland coast.
A spokeswoman said the resulting tsunami would be between 10 and 20cm, posing little threat to residents in isolated areas.
"It's not a really big (threat) for the coast of Australia," she said.
Geoscience duty seismologist David Jepsen said the quake had occurred in an area of frequent seismic activity.
There had already been one aftershock, the strength of which had not yet been determined, Dr Jepsen said.
"It's on the plate boundary between the Pacific and Asian plates, so these quakes are common," he said.
The quake, with a magnitude of 8.1, jolted the South Pacific Ocean at 6.40am (AEST).
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a tsunami warning for Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Nauru, Chuuk, New Caledonia, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Australia, Indonesia, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Marshall Island.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology's National Meteorological and Oceanographic Centre initially put out a warning to the Barrier Reef Islands and Willis Island.
Any tsunami had the potential to hit Willis Island at 8.30am and Cooktown in far north Queensland about 9.30am, it said.
People were warned to move out of the water and away from low lying foreshore areas and then listen for further advice from state emergency service authorities.
In the Solomons, early reports said four people were missing.
Many of the buildings in Gizo had been reported damaged and villages on Shortland Island were flooded, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Council (NDMC) said on ABC Radio.
The NDMC is expected to meet this morning and declare a national disaster.
A spokesman for the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands told News.com.au local media were issuing information about possible tidal waves.
"The National Disaster Management office... haven't talked about earthquake damage," he said.
"They said one (tidal wave) was due to hit about one minute ago in Honiara", but it didn't come, he said.
"None of the local staff seem to be particularly concerned."
Today's quake was centred about 350kms west-north-west of the Solomons capital Honiara at a depth of 10km.
Japan's Meteorological Agency said it was looking into the possibility of tidal waves hitting the Japanese archipelago after the quake.
Residents on Queensland's Barrier Reef Islands and Willis Island in the Coral Sea were first placed on alert today and told to leave low-lying areas.
But the Australian Bureau of Meteorology later extended the tsunami warning to Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island and the whole eastern coast as far south as Tasmania.
Barry Hirshorn from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said he had been hearing rumours of 20 houses washed away close to the epicentre of the quake, but further away the tsunami was down to less than half a metre.
Geoscience Australia said there were unlikely to be major problems on the far north Queensland coast.
A spokeswoman said the resulting tsunami would be between 10 and 20cm, posing little threat to residents in isolated areas.
"It's not a really big (threat) for the coast of Australia," she said.
Geoscience duty seismologist David Jepsen said the quake had occurred in an area of frequent seismic activity.
There had already been one aftershock, the strength of which had not yet been determined, Dr Jepsen said.
"It's on the plate boundary between the Pacific and Asian plates, so these quakes are common," he said.
The quake, with a magnitude of 8.1, jolted the South Pacific Ocean at 6.40am (AEST).
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a tsunami warning for Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Nauru, Chuuk, New Caledonia, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Australia, Indonesia, Tuvalu, Kiribati, and Marshall Island.
The Australian Bureau of Meteorology's National Meteorological and Oceanographic Centre initially put out a warning to the Barrier Reef Islands and Willis Island.
Any tsunami had the potential to hit Willis Island at 8.30am and Cooktown in far north Queensland about 9.30am, it said.
People were warned to move out of the water and away from low lying foreshore areas and then listen for further advice from state emergency service authorities.
In the Solomons, early reports said four people were missing.
Many of the buildings in Gizo had been reported damaged and villages on Shortland Island were flooded, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Council (NDMC) said on ABC Radio.
The NDMC is expected to meet this morning and declare a national disaster.
A spokesman for the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands told News.com.au local media were issuing information about possible tidal waves.
"The National Disaster Management office... haven't talked about earthquake damage," he said.
"They said one (tidal wave) was due to hit about one minute ago in Honiara", but it didn't come, he said.
"None of the local staff seem to be particularly concerned."
Today's quake was centred about 350kms west-north-west of the Solomons capital Honiara at a depth of 10km.
Japan's Meteorological Agency said it was looking into the possibility of tidal waves hitting the Japanese archipelago after the quake.
