Science News: Yesterday a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck 81 km west of Santa Cruz Island, part of the Solomon Islands, in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The quake triggered a tsunami and multiple aftershocks, three with magnitudes greater than 6.0. At least five people were killed and several villages damaged. The region is prone to earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis because it is located near a thrust fault at the boundary of the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates. An earthquake of similar magnitude struck in 2007, and dozens were reported in the month leading up to yesterday’s quake.