Strong earthquake hits the South Pacific Ocean, northwest of the Kermadec Islands

[News_Editor]

Strong earthquake hits the South Pacific Ocean, northwest of the Kermadec Islands

2011-02-21 18:31:27 GMT+7 (ICT)

SUVA, FIJI (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck the South Pacific Ocean on late Monday evening, northwest of the Kermadec Islands, seismologists said, but no tsunami warnings were issued.

The 6.4-magnitude earthquake at 10.57 p.m. local time (1057 GMT) was centered about 505 kilometers (315 miles) northwest of Raoul Island, which is part of the Kermadec Islands. It struck about 540 kilometers (336 miles) deep, making it an extremely deep earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

As no islands are nearby the earthquake's epicenter, it is not possible for anyone to have felt the earthquake. The earthquake was also too deep to pose a tsunami threat.

The Kermadec Islands and the surrounding region are part of the so-called 'Pacific Ring of Fire', an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent and large earthquakes. Volcanic eruptions also occur frequently in the region.

On December 26, 2004, one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded struck off the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia, which is also part of the 'Pacific Ring of Fire'. The 9.1-magnitude earthquake unleashed a deadly tsunami, striking scores of countries. In all, at least 227,898 people were killed.

Most recently, on October 25, a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck just off the Mentawai Islands off the western coast of Sumatra. As a result, a wall of water killed at least 435 people on the islands and impacted more than 20 villages.

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