Strong 6.5 quake strikes off Vanuatu: Hong Kong Observatory

Feb 06, 2012 |

Hong Kong

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A 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of the South Pacific island of Vanuatu on Sunday, the Hong Kong Observatory said, but there were no reports of a tsunami warning.

The quake struck at 2210 IST around 81 kilometres southwest of the capital Port Vila. The shallow quake, which had a depth of four kilometres, was measured by the US Geological Survey as having a magnitude of 6 on the Richter scale.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage and the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre had yet to issue any information bulletin or alert.

Vanuatu lies on the so-called ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’, a zone of frequent seismic activity caused by friction between shifting tectonic plates.

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