6.7-Magnitude Earthquake Strikes The Indian Ocean Off Mauritius

6.7-magnitude earthquake strikes the Indian Ocean off Mauritius < br />

2012-07-27 07:41:10 GMT+7 (ICT)

PORT MATHURIN, MAURITIUS (BNO NEWS) -- A strong earthquake struck the Indian Ocean far off Rodrigues island in Mauritius on Thursday morning, seismologists said, but causing no damage or casualties. It was the strongest earthquake to hit the region in recent history.

The 6.7-magnitude earthquake at 9:33 a.m. local time (0533 GMT) was centered about 387 kilometers (240 miles) northeast of Port Mathurin, the main village on Rodrigues island in Mauritius. It struck about 9.8 kilometers (6.1 miles) deep, making it a very shallow earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The USGS, which initially measured the strength of the earthquake at 5.8 on the Richter scale, said the epicenter of the earthquake was centered too far from Rodrigues island to have been felt there. This was confirmed by residents and officials on the island who said they did not feel tremors.

Neither the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center nor the Mauritius Meteorological Service issued a tsunami warning.

Thursday's earthquake was the largest earthquake to hit the region since at least August 2010, when a strong 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck 320 kilometers (199 miles) northeast of Rodrigues island. There is no record of any other significant earthquakes in the region in recent years.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-07-27