DOCSLIB.ORG

6 February 2013 Mw8.0 Santa Cruz Islands Tsunami

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
6 February 2013 Mw8.0 Santa Cruz Islands Tsunami Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss., 3, 1949–1970, 2015 www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci-discuss.net/3/1949/2015/ doi:10.5194/nhessd-3-1949-2015 NHESSD © Author(s) 2015. CC Attribution 3.0 License. 3, 1949–1970, 2015 This discussion paper is/has been under review for the journal Natural Hazards and Earth 6 February 2013 System Sciences (NHESS). Please refer to the corresponding final paper in NHESS if available. Mw 8.0 Santa Cruz Islands Tsunami Source of the 6 February 2013 Mw 8.0 F. Romano et al. Santa Cruz Islands Tsunami Title Page F. Romano, I. Molinari, S. Lorito, and A. Piatanesi Abstract Introduction Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Via di Vigna Murata 605, 00143, Rome, Italy Conclusions References Received: 27 February 2015 – Accepted: 3 March 2015 – Published: 16 March 2015 Tables Figures Correspondence to: F. Romano ([email protected]) Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union. J I J I Back Close Full Screen / Esc Printer-friendly Version Interactive Discussion 1949 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Abstract NHESSD On 6 February 2013 an Mw 8.0 subduction earthquake occurred close to Santa Cruz Islands at the transition between the Solomon and the New Hebrides Trench. The en- 3, 1949–1970, 2015 suing tsunami caused significant inundation on the closest Nendo Island. The seis- 5 mic source was studied with teleseismic broadband P waves inversion optimized with 6 February 2013 tsunami forward modeling at DART buoys (Lay et al., 2013), and with inversion of tele- Mw 8.0 Santa Cruz seismic body and surface waves (Hayes et al., 2014). The two studies also use different Islands Tsunami hypocenters and different planar fault models, and found quite different slip models. In particular, Hayes et al. (2014) argued for an aseismic slip patch SE from the hypocen- F. Romano et al. 10 ter. We here develop a 3-D model of the fault surface from seismicity analysis and re- trieve the tsunami source by inverting DART and tide-gauge data. Our tsunami source model features a main slip patch (peak value of ∼ 11 m) SE of the hypocentre, and Title Page reaching to the trench. The rake direction is consistent with the progressively more Abstract Introduction oblique plate convergence towards the Solomon trench. The tsunami source partially Conclusions References 15 overlaps the hypothesized aseismic slip area, which then might have slipped coseismi- cally. Tables Figures 1 Introduction J I J I On 6 February 2013 an Mw 8.0 earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean nearby the archipelago of Santa Cruz Islands. The hypocenter (165.138◦ E 10.738◦ S, Back Close 20 depth ∼ 29 km, USGS, http://comcat.cr.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000f1s0# Full Screen / Esc summary) is located at the subduction interface between the Australia and the Pacific plates, 76 km West from Lata, the main city of Nendo Island (Figs. 1 and 2). Printer-friendly Version This earthquake, the largest in 2013, occurred on a complex section of the Australia- Pacific plate boundary at the northern end of the New Hebrides trench (Hayes et al., Interactive Discussion 25 2012), nearby a short segment of dominantly strike-slip plate motion that marks the transition between Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands subduction zones. This seg- 1950 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | ment is characterized by a complex tectonic regime that becomes progressively more oblique westward as revealed by the focal mechanisms of the local seismicity (Fig. 1). NHESSD In this region the relative convergence velocity between Australia and Pacific plates is 3, 1949–1970, 2015 ∼ 9.4 cmyr−1 (DeMets et al., 2010). 5 The Santa Cruz Islands earthquake generated a tsunami that struck the Nendo Island, in particular the city of Lata with waves higher than 1 m. Several runup and 6 February 2013 flowdepth measurements have been collected during a field survey conducted on some Mw 8.0 Santa Cruz islands of the archipelago few days after the earthquake (Fritz et al., 2014), reporting Islands Tsunami maximum tsunami wave heights of about 11 m in the western part of the Nendo Island. F. Romano et al. 10 In addition, the tsunami propagated in the Pacific Ocean, also reaching the coasts of Hawaii (Lay et al., 2013). Seismic and tsunami source of this earthquake have been previously studied with Title Page different methodologies (Lay et al., 2013; Hayes et al., 2014a), highlighting some dif- ferences between the resulting models in terms of both slip patches position and slip Abstract Introduction 15 amplitude. Hayes et al. (2014a) studied the Santa Cruz Islands earthquake by inverting Conclusions References teleseismic body and surface waves; Lay et al. (2013) performed a teleseismic broad- band P waves inversion optimized with tsunami forward modelling at DART buoys. Tables Figures These studies used different hypocenters and different planar fault models; in partic- ular, Lay et al. (2013) adopted both hypocenter and fault plane shallower than those J I 20 used by Hayes et al. (2014a). The best-fitting source model in Hayes et al. (2014a, hereinafter HA14) has a main patch of slip centred around the hypocenter with a max- J I imum slip of about 4 m and a second smaller patch located SE of the Nendo Island Back Close and characterized by relatively low slip (∼ 0.5 m). On the other hand, the source model Full Screen / Esc in Lay et al. (2013, hereinafter LA13) features two patches with slip larger than 10 m; 25 the first patch is located around the hypocenter, whereas the second one is shallower Printer-friendly Version and located SE of the hypocenter. The surface projection of the slip in LA13 is roughly consistent with the HA14 patches even if they are at different depths (and featuring Interactive Discussion quite different slip values), because of the different fault planes used. In addition, the 1951 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | LA13 source model is more efficient in terms of tsunami waves excitation than that of HA14 and quite well predicts the tsunami observations recorded at the DART buoys. NHESSD The usual pattern of the aftershocks distribution following a great subduction earth- 3, 1949–1970, 2015 quake should show a large number of events occurring at the subduction interface not 5 dislocated, eventually also bordering the broken asperities (Aki, 1979). On the other hand, as already extensively discussed (Hayes et al., 2014a; Lay et al., 2013), after 6 February 2013 the 2013 6 February event, very few events were located along the subduction inter- Mw 8.0 Santa Cruz face. Furthermore, most of early aftershocks in the epicentral area (∼ 200 events within Islands Tsunami 48 h from the mainshock, USGS catalogue, http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/) F. Romano et al. 10 showed strike-slip and normal mechanism, including two earthquakes with Mw > 7 oc- curred in the upper crust portion of the Pacific plate and in the outer-rise trench region. Hayes et al. (2014a) proposed a block-like motion behaviour of the Pacific upper plate Title Page to explain these observations. In particular, they argued that a large number of anoma- lous right-lateral strike-slip events located southeast of Nendo Island were triggered by Abstract Introduction 15 significant aseismic slip along a portion of the megathrust south-eastward from the epi- Conclusions References central area. However, LA13 model features significant coseismic slip on this portion of the fault; these differences may be due to the different data used and/or to the different Tables Figures fault models adopted in the inversions. Here we study the coseismic tsunami source of the Santa Cruz Islands earthquake J I 20 by inverting the available tsunami waveforms. We compute the Green’s functions at the DART buoys and tide gauges using a 3-D fault model that honours the complex J I geometry of the subduction interface. After retrieving the tsunami source model, we Back Close discuss it in comparison with LA13 and HA14 source models. Full Screen / Esc 2 Tsunami data and fault model Printer-friendly Version Interactive Discussion 25 The tsunami generated by the Santa Cruz Islands earthquake propagated both in the North and South Pacific Ocean and it has been observed in the open sea at sev- eral DART buoys and at some tide gauges located along the coasts of Solomon and 1952 Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Discussion Paper | Fiji Islands. We select 5 DART buoys (52 403, 52 406, 51 425, 55 012, and 55 023, http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/dart.shtml) and 3 tide gauges (Lata Wharf, Honiara, and NHESSD Lautoka, http://www.ioc-sealevelmonitoring.org) that distinctly recorded a tsunami sig- 3, 1949–1970, 2015 nal and that allows a good azimuthal coverage (Fig. 2, further details in Supplement). 5 Before using the tsunami data in the inversion, we remove the tide from the original signals by using a robust LOWESS procedure (Barbosa et al., 2004). 6 February 2013 The fault model geometry can greatly influence the results of source inversion. Mw 8.0 Santa Cruz Adopting a fault geometry that honours the complexities of the subduction interface Islands Tsunami then may help to reduce the epistemic uncertainties associated to forward modelling F. Romano et al. 10 (Romano et al., 2014). This is particularly true for earthquakes of this size occurring in subduction zones characterized by strong variations of strike and/or dip (e.g. Hayes et al., 2014b), even more so in complex tectonic environments like the Santa Cruz Title Page Islands region. Thus, analysing the aftershocks distribution occurred after the 6 February main- Abstract Introduction 15 shock, the local seismicity, and considering the rupture area expected for a M8 event, Conclusions References we built a 3-D non-planar fault model with variable strike and dip angles in order to account for such geometrical complexities of the subduction interface on both the Tables Figures New Hebrides and Solomon trenches (Bird, 2003).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Ethnography of Ontong Java and Tasman Islands with Remarks Re: the Marqueen and Abgarris Islands
    PACIFIC STUDIES Vol. 9, No. 3 July 1986 ETHNOGRAPHY OF ONTONG JAVA AND TASMAN ISLANDS WITH REMARKS RE: THE MARQUEEN AND ABGARRIS ISLANDS by R. Parkinson Translated by Rose S. Hartmann, M.D. Introduced and Annotated by Richard Feinberg Kent State University INTRODUCTION The Polynesian outliers for years have held a special place in Oceanic studies. They have figured prominently in discussions of Polynesian set- tlement from Thilenius (1902), Churchill (1911), and Rivers (1914) to Bayard (1976) and Kirch and Yen (1982). Scattered strategically through territory generally regarded as either Melanesian or Microne- sian, they illustrate to varying degrees a merging of elements from the three great Oceanic culture areas—thus potentially illuminating pro- cesses of cultural diffusion. And as small bits of land, remote from urban and administrative centers, they have only relatively recently experienced the sustained European contact that many decades earlier wreaked havoc with most islands of the “Polynesian Triangle.” The last of these characteristics has made the outliers particularly attractive to scholars interested in glimpsing Polynesian cultures and societies that have been but minimally influenced by Western ideas and Pacific Studies, Vol. 9, No. 3—July 1986 1 2 Pacific Studies, Vol. 9, No. 3—July 1986 accoutrements. For example, Tikopia and Anuta in the eastern Solo- mons are exceptional in having maintained their traditional social structures, including their hereditary chieftainships, almost entirely intact. And Papua New Guinea’s three Polynesian outliers—Nukuria, Nukumanu, and Takuu—may be the only Polynesian islands that still systematically prohibit Christian missionary activities while proudly maintaining important elements of their old religions.
    [Show full text]
  • South Malaita
    Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management & Meteorology Post Office Box 21 Honiara Solomon Islands Phone: (677) 27937/ 27936, Mobile: 7495895/ 7449741 Fax: (677) 24293 and 27060. e-mail : [email protected] and [email protected] 6 FEBRUARY TEMOTU EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI SI NDMO/NEOC SITUATION REPORT NUMBER 05 Event 8.0 Earthquake and tsunami near Santa Cruz Islands, Temotu Province. SITREP No. 05 Date: 11/2/2013 Time Issued: 1800 Hrs Next Update: 1800hrs - 12/02/2013 From: NEOC/NDMO To: N-DOC & NDC Chairs and Members, P-DOC and PDC Chairs and Members, PEOCs Copies: NDMO Stakeholders, Donor Partners, Local & International NGOs, UN Agencies, Diplomatic Agencies, SIRPF, SIRC and SI Government Ministries and all SI Government Overseas Missions Situation New information highlighted in red. At 12.12pm Wednesday 6th February, 2013 a 8.0 magnitude undersea earthquake occurred 33km West- Southwest of the Santa Cruz Islands and generated a destructive tsunami. At 12.23pm the SI Meteorological Service issued a tsunami warning for 5 provinces in Solomon Islands; Temotu, Malaita, Makira-Ulawa, Central and Guadalcanal. By 1.18pm the threat to the 5 Provinces had been assessed and for Guadalcanal and Temotu this was downgraded to watch status. The tsunami warning remained in effect for Temotu, Makira-Ulawa and Malaita Provinces until 5pm. A large number of aftershocks have occurred after the event, with 7.1 being the highest. The Temotu Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC) was activated and a team was deployed to the Temotu province to assist the provincial staff Areas Affected Mostly the coastal villages on Santa Cruz.
    [Show full text]
  • Sociological Factors in Reefs-Santa Cruz Language Vitality: a 40 Year Retrospective
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by RERO DOC Digital Library Sociological factors in Reefs-Santa Cruz language vitality: a 40 year retrospective BRENDA H. BOERGER, ÅSHILD NÆSS, ANDERS VAA, RACHEL EMERINE, and ANGELA HOOVER Abstract This article looks back over 40 years of language and culture change in the region of the Solomon Islands where the four Reefs-Santa Cruz (RSC) lan- guages are spoken. Taking the works of Davenport and Wurm as a starting point, we list specific linguistic changes we have identified and discuss the so- ciological factors which have both promoted and undermined the vitality of these languages. We then determine the level of vitality for each language through the recently proposed Extended Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale — EGIDS (Lewis and Simons 2010), and based on our results for the RSC languages, we provide a short evaluation of the usefulness of EGIDS for prioritizing language documentation efforts. Keywords: Solomon Islands; Solomon Islands Pijin; Reefs-Santa Cruz; Natügu; Nalögo; Nagu; Äiwoo; EGIDS; language documenta- tion; language vitality. 1. Introduction Forty years ago, two authors wrote extensively about the anthropological and linguistic situation in the RSC language communities. Davenport (1962, 1964, 1975, 2005) described the cultural and sociological properties of both the Santa Cruz and Reef Islands cultures, Figure 1, including a description of trade rela- tionships within the Santa Cruz archipelago. At the same time Wurm (1969, 1970, 1972, 1976, 1978) analyzed the linguistic characteristics of the RSC languages. In his later work, Wurm (1991, 1992a, 1992b, 2000, 2002, 2003) also discussed language vitality in the region.
    [Show full text]
  • Species-Edition-Melanesian-Geo.Pdf
    Nature Melanesian www.melanesiangeo.com Geo Tranquility 6 14 18 24 34 66 72 74 82 6 Herping the final frontier 42 Seahabitats and dugongs in the Lau Lagoon 10 Community-based response to protecting biodiversity in East 46 Herping the sunset islands Kwaio, Solomon Islands 50 Freshwater secrets Ocean 14 Leatherback turtle community monitoring 54 Freshwater hidden treasures 18 Monkey-faced bats and flying foxes 58 Choiseul Island: A biogeographic in the Western Solomon Islands stepping-stone for reptiles and amphibians of the Solomon Islands 22 The diversity and resilience of flying foxes to logging 64 Conservation Development 24 Feasibility studies for conserving 66 Chasing clouds Santa Cruz Ground-dove 72 Tetepare’s turtle rodeo and their 26 Network Building: Building a conservation effort network to meet local and national development aspirations in 74 Secrets of Tetepare Culture Western Province 76 Understanding plant & kastom 28 Local rangers undergo legal knowledge on Tetepare training 78 Grassroots approach to Marine 30 Propagation techniques for Tubi Management 34 Phantoms of the forest 82 Conservation in Solomon Islands: acts without actions 38 Choiseul Island: Protecting Mt Cover page The newly discovered Vangunu Maetambe to Kolombangara River Island endemic rat, Uromys vika. Image watershed credit: Velizar Simeonovski, Field Museum. wildernesssolomons.com WWW.MELANESIANGEO.COM | 3 Melanesian EDITORS NOTE Geo PRODUCTION TEAM Government Of Founder/Editor: Patrick Pikacha of the priority species listed in the Critical Ecosystem [email protected] Solomon Islands Hails Partnership Fund’s investment strategy for the East Assistant editor: Tamara Osborne Melanesian Islands. [email protected] Barana Community The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) Contributing editor: David Boseto [email protected] is designed to safeguard Earth’s most biologically rich Prepress layout: Patrick Pikacha Nature Park Initiative and threatened regions, known as biodiversity hotspots.
    [Show full text]
  • We, the Taumako Kinship Among Polynesians in the Santa Cruz Islands
    WE, THE TAUMAKO KINSHIP AMONG POLYNESIANS IN THE SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS Richard Feinberg Kent State University Kent, Ohio USA [email protected] Raymond Firth’s We, The Tikopia, first published in 1936, still sets the standard for de- tailed, nuanced, sensitive ethnography. As Malinowski’s student, Firth—who died in 2002 at the age of 100—was a hard-headed functionalist, whose forte was careful exami- nation of cultural “institutions” and their effects on individuals as well as on other institutions. Suspicious of abstruse theoretical pronouncements, he presented his analy- ses in plain language and always situated them in relation to the “imponderabilia” of real people’s everyday lives. We, The Tikopia has been a foundational text for genera- tions of anthropologists, and it helped to guide my research on three Polynesian outliers over the past four decades. Since the time of Firth’s initial fieldwork, conditions in the region have changed drastically, as even the most remote communities have become en- meshed in the world market economy. In 2007-08, I studied a revival of indigenous voy- aging techniques on Taumako, a Polynesian community near Tikopia, in the southeastern Solomon Islands. I was struck by the extent to which the cash economy permeated Tau- mako life, altering the tone of kin relations in ways that would have been unimaginable on Tikopia in the 1920s—or even on Anuta, where I conducted research, in the 1970s. Here, I will examine Taumako kinship in light of the insights offered by Sir Raymond three quarters of a century ago and explore the changes to the kinship system brought about by new economic forces.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Species of White-Eye Zosterops and Notes on Other Birds From
    Ibis (2008), 150, 698–706 Blackwell PublishingA Ltd new species of White-eye Zosterops and notes on other birds from Vanikoro, Solomon Islands GUY DUTSON* c/o 1 High Way, Broadstone, Dorset BH18 9NB, UK A new species of white-eye, the Vanikoro White-eye Zosterops gibbsi, is described from the island of Vanikoro (= Vanikolo) in the Santa Cruz Islands (= Temotu Province) within the Solomon Islands. It differs from the geographically closest white-eye, the Santa Cruz White-eye Zosterops sanctaecrucis, by a number of features including a much longer bill, and different leg- and eye-ring colour. This is the second bird species endemic to Vanikoro; the neighbouring Nendo Island supports three endemic species. Although the conservation status of this species appears to be secure, the Santa Cruz Islands are very poorly known. Despite supporting several globally threatened species, the Islands at present are not protected by any conservation activity. Keywords: biogeography, endemic bird, Santa Cruz Islands, Vanikolo. Despite occurring on nearly all large South Pacific 7 November, the day after moving to my next base, Islands, the genus Zosterops was until recently Lavaka village. I studied these birds on 8–10 November, unknown from the island of Vanikoro in the Santa finding an active nest, and took two specimens each Cruz Archipelago of the Solomon Islands. It is on 11 and 12 November. I continued to observe a surprising that the Whitney South Seas Expeditions total of at least 17 white-eyes around Lavaka until (WSSE) missed this species as they proved to have 19 November and spent 2 days exploring the highest been very thorough in surveying other Melanesian mountain to about 800 m altitude, close to the islands.
    [Show full text]
  • Solomon Islands Earthquake and Tsunami Situation Report No. 3 (As
    Solomon Islands: Earthquake and Tsunami Situation Report No. 3 (as of 8 February 2013) This report is produced by OCHA Regional Office for the Pacific in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It was issued by OCHA Regional Office for the Pacific. It covers a period from 7 to 8 February 2013. The next report will be issued on or around 11 February 2013. Highlights Solomon Islands Government has declared a State of Disaster for Santa Cruz Islands in Temotu Province Nine people have been confirmed dead 700 households have been affected, displacing 3,500 people The first relief supplies along with assessment and medical personnel arrived in Temotu Province this afternoon 700 3,500 9 people households people confirmed dead affected displaced Situation Overview The Solomon Islands Government has declared a State of Disaster for Santa Cruz Islands in Temotu Province following Wednesday’s 8.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami. The Solomon Islands Government hopes the official declaration will mobilize more domestic and international support. In addition to the declaration, the National Disaster Council approved a budget of US$139,000 for response efforts. The National Disaster Management Office has only received information on damages from some areas of Temotu Province and little information has been received from the Reef Islands and Utupua. In addition, no reports have been received from the Santa Cruz Weather Coast, Tikopia and Anuta. There remains concern for these areas where no contact has been received. The ongoing seismic activity around the Santa Cruz Islands and the difficultly in accessing the area remain a challenge.
    [Show full text]
  • Remember We Are Not Managing the Ocean, but the Behavior of the People Who Use the Ocean! Presentationpresentation Outlineoutline
    TOWARDS INTEGRATED NATIONAL OCEAN POLICY IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC: Solomon Islands. Competing & Conflicting Issues in Ocean Policy… Rudolf H. Dorah UN-The Nippon of Japan Foundation Fellow (2006-07 Remember we are not managing the ocean, but the behavior of the people who use the ocean! PresentationPresentation OutlineOutline 1. HOW FAR HAVE WE GONE SINCE UNCLOS & RIO? GLOBAL LEVEL PACIFIC CONTEXT Geographical Realities Political Realities Economic Realities Ocean Realities 2. TOWARDS INTEGRATED OCEAN POLICY: Conceptualization Rationale Objective 3. TOWARDS AN INTEGRATE REGIONAL OCEAN POLICY IN THE PACIFIC Development of the PIROP Evolution of the Policy? The Policy Environment Policy Process Major Principles Adopted Institutional Arrangements 4. DEVELOPMENT OF SOLOMON ISLAND NATIONAL OCEAN POLICY: ISSUES BACKGROUNDBACKGROUND UNCLOSUNCLOS UNCEDUNCED Relevant provisions of UNCLOS UNCED reinforces UNCLOS, related to Ocean Policy are: deals with new challenges, and also set new targets for states to accomplish including 1. Living Marine Resources: Part V (EEZ) Art 61-73, Part VII ( High Seas), Section 2, Art 116-120 & 1. Deals with Climate change Annex 1. ( Rights and Obligations 2. Support full ratification and of States, Annex 1 (types of highly implementation of UNCLOS migratory species) 3. Agenda 21, Ch 17, Sustainable 2. Non-Living Marine resources: Part Development (27 principles of XII, Protection and Preservation of sustainable development). Of the marine environment (12 Sec), particular relevance to this thesis is Sources of pollutions, Art 145 Chapter 17, programmes C and D of protection of the Environment Agenda 21 which specifically look at from the area. the sustainable use and resource management and conservation of marine resources.
    [Show full text]
  • Rockjumper Birding Tours=
    Secrets of Melanesia With Chris Leahy And in Partnership with Rockjumper Birding Tours th st 20 to 31 October 2017 (12 days) Claret-breasted Fruit Doves by Jonathan Rossouw This voyage takes us into a world that few have ever experienced, including visiting idyllic islands and isolated villages where unique time-honoured traditions and elaborately costumed dancers welcome us into their special world. Commencing in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, we set sail to discover the beauty of the outer Solomon Islands. Here we can relax as our ship glides into secluded bays, and takes us to remote oceanic islands where the ancient art of traditional navigation survives even until today. In Vanuatu, we have the opportunity to search for several endemic bird species, or else to dive and explore one of the planet’s most famous wrecks and discover hidden underwater worlds bejewelled with a dazzling array of astounding marine life. For birders, this itinerary offers once-in-a-lifetime species on remote islands where very few people have been before. The birding potential is exceptional, and we offer an optional specialised Massachusetts Audubon Secrets of Melanesia 2 birding programme with customised excursions to maximise our birding opportunities of the region’s numerous endemic and range-restricted species. In addition, these waters provide some of the greatest diving in the world, and there will be various opportunities for everybody to snorkel and appreciate the beauty beneath the waves, as well as an optional scuba-diving programme
    [Show full text]
  • 2.7 Material Culture of the Solomon Islands
    2.7 Introduction to Pacific Review of Pacific Collections Collections: Material Culture in Scottish Museums of the Solomon Islands Produced as part of Pacific Collections in Scottish Museums: Unlocking their knowledge and potential project 2013-2014. For full information and resources visit www.nms.ac.uk/pacific The following summary provides an overview of material you are likely to come across in Scottish collections. These are written according to island region. Solomon Islands The sovereign state of the Solomon Islands comprises six large islands, a further forty smaller islands and many atolls and islets. The capital, Honiara, is located on Guadalcanal Island, the other five large islands being Choiseul, Santa Isabel, New Georgia, Malaita, and San Cristobel. The Santa Cruz Islands are geographically closer to Vanuatu but form part of the Solomon Islands. Tikopia is the best known of the Santa Cruz Islands. The two atolls of Rennell and Bellona, although politically part of the Solomon Islands, are culturally associated with the Eastern Pacific (Polynesia). Bougainville and Buka Islands form the northern part of the Solomon Archipelago but are in Papua New Guinea. Population of the Solomon Islands began around 20-25,000 years ago and further waves of settlement occurred around 4000 BC and between 1200 and 800 BC. The first European contact was with Spanish navigator, Alvaro de Mendaña de Neira. During the nineteenth century, contact with Europeans increased significantly due to labour recruiting and the establishment of the Melanesian mission in 1848. The Southern Solomons became a British protectorate in 1893. Independence was achieved in 1978. Europeans visiting the Solomon Islands were fascinated by head-hunting and warfare and many of the artefacts in museums and the early literature about the region represent this European obsession.
    [Show full text]
  • Solomon Islands in Relation
    internafionQl Atomic Energy Agency IUREP N.F*S. No. 136 December 1977 Distr. LIMITED Originals IHTERNATIOFAL URAHIUM RESOURCES EVALUATIOI PROJECT IUREP BATIOHW, FAYOURABILITY STUDIES SOLOMOlf ISLAISS 77-H359 IBTERHATIOHAL URAMUM RESOURCES EVALUATION PROJECT IUESP NATIONAL PAVOURABILITY STUDIES IUREP EToP.So No-. 136 SOLOMON ISLA1DS C- 0 N T E I T S SUMMARY PAGE A. IBTRODUCTIOF AM) GENERAL GEOGRAPHY 1. B. GEOLOGY OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS IN RELATION TO POTENTIALLY FAVOURABLE URANIUM BEARING AREAS C. PAST EXPLORATION - 2. D» URANIUM OCCURRENCES AND RESOURCES 3= E. PRESENT STATUS OF EXPLORATION 3. F, POTENTIAL FOR NEW DISCOVERIES . 3» REFERENCES 3» FIGURES No,, 1 MAP OF SOLOMON" ISLANDS o S U M MARY The Solomon Islands have an area of;about 30,000 square kilometerso The larger islands are volcanic and contain a small variety of minerals, some of which may eventually be economically recoverable.. A large phosphate deposit may also be mined --at some future date. Specific geologic information is very difficult to find, but on the basis of what little is available a small potential is deduced to be in Category 2 (l,000 - 10,000 tonnes U). _ 2 _: Geography Solomon Islands are a chain of islands in the Melanesian area of "the southwestern Pacific, which extends in a northwest. - south- east direction for. almost 1,500 km "between latitudes 5° and.11° S, and longitudes 154° 40' and 162° 30s E« The,group includes the Santa Cruz Islands, about 48O km to the east of the southernmost Solomons, and the Lord Howe (Ontong Java) Islands° The Solomon Islands include, Guadalcanal, San Cristo*bal, Malaita, Santa Isabel, Choiseul, Hew Georgia, Santa Cruz, Lord Hoi^e, Reef and Duff groups and Mitre Island., The area is about 30,000 sq km.
    [Show full text]
  • In the Solomon Islands
    A preliminary desk study identifying important bird areas (IBAs) in the Solomon Islands Draft for restricted circulation only Prepared for BirdLife International Catherine E. Filardi David Boseto Christopher E. Filardi December 2007 Solomon IBA Desk Study DRAFT The Solomon Islands lie at a biogeographic crossroads. Separating the rich continental faunas of Australasia and the isolated islands of a sprawling Pacific, no other oceanic archipelago supports a greater proportion of the Earth’s living diversity, or a richer array of human ways of life and languages. To an ornithologist, this translates into exceptional patterns of endemism, which are increasingly being revealed as an evolutionary fulcrum generating diversity to the east and to the west. Significantly, as across much of the Pacific, the living diversity of the Solomons is threatened by a rapidly growing population and increasing pressure to liquidate forest resources. Hope lies in our collective efforts to capture pieces of these stunning landscapes in partnership with the diverse human communities whose futures have been entangled with the birds of the Solomons for all of living memory. 1. GENERAL NATIONAL INTRODUCTION The Solomon Islands are located in the southwest Pacific, between latitudes 5o and 12o S and longitudes 152o to 170o E (see Maps). The nation stretches across 1450 km of the Pacific, from the Shortland Islands off the eastern edge of Bougainville (the westernmost and largest island in the Solomon Archipelago, but politically part of Papua New Guinea), to the Santa Cruz islands just north of Vanuatu. The country, which gained independence from Britain in 1978, includes seven major island groups (Guadalcanal, Malaita, Makira-Ulawa, Isabel, the New Georgia group, Rennell and Bellona, and Choiseul) and over 900 smaller islands, islets, atolls and cayes.
    [Show full text]