Quake lifts Solomons island metres from the sea

[highplainsdem]

The force of this week's Solomons earthquake has lifted an island in the South Pacific archipelago and pushed out its shoreline by tens of metres, exposing surrounding reefs.

The remote island of Ranongga in the western Solomon Islands used to have submerged coral reefs that attracted scuba divers from around the world.

But since Monday's massive earthquake in the Solomon Islands, the reefs are now exposed above the water and are dying, an AFP reporter and photographer have seen.

The AFP team, which travelled to Ranongga on a chartered outboard after the quake, saw exposed reefs bleaching in the sun, and covered with dead fish, eels, clams and other marine life.

More, and photos, at:

http://www.france24.com/france24Public/en/administration/afp-news.html?id=070407111615.l9x1mxuc&cat=science

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. Wow! Will there be more tectonic lifting and/or dropping the region?

Have to wonder...

The coral reef lifted and exposed


A man looks at an exposed coral reef on the remote island of Ranongga, 07 April 2007. The force of this week's Solomons earthquake lifted the island and pushed out its shoreline by tens of metres, exposing the surrounding reefs that used to attract scuba divers from around the world.



Residents on the remote island of Ranongga sit on a coral reef exposed by the force of this week's Solomons earthquake, 07 April 2007. The quake lifted the island and pushed out its shoreline by tens of metres, exposing the surrounding reefs that used to attract scuba divers from around the world.

[cliss]

3. Yikes. These gentlemen are walking around

on this stuff, and they're barefoot. Wouldn't that hurt your feet??

Thankx for posting photos.

[Fridays Child]

2. As terrible as this disaster is, at least it wasn't caused by the...

...negligence of humans...

...unless you subscribe to the idea that the water pressure from rising sea levels caused the earthquake. There's a name for the phenomenon/theory but I can't remember what it is.

Edited to add the following link: http://reports.discoverychannel.ca/servlet/an/discovery/1/20060704/discovery_climatechange_060704?s_name=&no_ads=