THE authority to issue advisories, threats and warnings is up to individual countries, the Mineral Resources Department clarified yesterday.

Acting director Raijieli Taga made this comment in response to Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre’s Dr Stuart Weinstein, who said the tsunami warning issued by Fijian authorities last week, which was later cancelled, was never needed in the first place because of the Ecuador or Japan earthquake.

Dr Weinstein said the threat message issued by PTWC indicated tsunami wave amplitudes were expected to be below 30cm when it reached Fiji and such waves or less were generally not destructive.

Ms Taga pointed out the department issued an earthquake release with “no threat to Fiji” advice but was updated because of the PTWC forecasting between 0.3m and 0.6m high waves for some coastlines including Fiji.

“This was then withdrawn once PTWC issued a later update stating no threat. That’s the reason a threat message was issued and later withdrawn,” Ms Taga said.

She reiterated earthquakes remained to be one of those natural disasters that could not be forecasted, with all the studies, technology available nowadays, it remained unpredictable.

And with all the efforts in trying to analyse recorded seismic data or develop model simulations to predict its occurrence, the fact remained that all will be reactive in nature because of the nature of earthquakes, she said.

She added their observatory was entirely for monitoring purposes and tried to provide accurate and timely advice for the public. The unit will also continuously liaise with PTWC for any occurrence of a tsunami.

since they have the equipment to monitor wave displacements.