Philippines earthquake: Could Hawaii be affected? Latest update on Guam and the US mainland

A powerful earthquake that struck the southern Philippines on Monday, June 8, triggered tsunami alerts across parts of the Pacific, raising concerns about potential impacts on US territories, including Guam and Hawaii, as well as the US mainland.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake measured a magnitude of 7.8 and occurred off Mindanao island at a depth of 39 miles (63 kilometers).

The US Tsunami Warning System, along with Philippine and Indonesian authorities, issued tsunami alerts following the seismic event.

Is Guam affected after the Philippines earthquake?

The US tsunami warning system issued a tsunami advisory for Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) at 6:09:46 AM following the earthquake.

According to the latest information from tsunami.gov, Guam and CNMI remain under an advisory as authorities continue monitoring sea-level fluctuations and ocean conditions linked to the quake.

Philippines earthquake: Is there a tsunami threat to Hawaii?

Concerns were also raised about Hawaii after social media users questioned whether the earthquake posed any threat to the islands.

Responding to one such query on X, the US National Tsunami Warning Center said: "NO tsunami danger for the Hawaiian Islands at this time."

The statement came after an X user asked, "what about Hawai'i?" in response to an earlier tsunami update from the agency.

Is the US mainland affected?

The National Tsunami Warning Center has repeatedly stated that the earthquake poses no tsunami threat to continental North America.

In an earlier update, the agency said: "From the National Tsunami Warning Center: NO tsunami, NO danger to the U.S. Continental coast from this earthquake. Duty Scientists analyzed the event at 1538AKDT Jun 07: M8.2 in Mindanao, Philippine Islands A Tsunami Information Statement is posted: tsunami.gov."

The agency later added: "From National Tsunami Warning Center: @USGS_Quakes have revised the magnitude of the Philippines quake to M7.8 There is NO tsunami danger to the North American coasts of the U.S or Canada following a recent earthquake. The latest message is posted at tsunami.gov."

Tsunami warnings in the Philippines

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) measured the earthquake at magnitude 7.0 and warned of potential damage and tsunami waves exceeding one meter that could persist for several hours.

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) estimated the quake's magnitude at 7.7, while an initial assessment by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) placed it at magnitude 8.2, according to Reuters.

According to the latest information from US's tsunami.gov, tsunami waves of 1 to 3 metres are possible along parts of the Philippines. The advisory, issued at 6:02:56 AM, also forecast waves between 0.3 and 1 metre for Malaysia.