Sydney: A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit in the
South Pacific near Vanuatu and New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands
on Friday, the US Geological Survey said.
The quake struck at a depth of 36 kilometres at 1239 IST,
60 kilometres northeast of Isangel in Vanuatu and 324
kilometres northeast of Tadine in the French Pacific territory
of New Caledonia, according to USGS.
There was no threat of a widespread tsunami, the Pacific
Tsunami Warning Centre said.
"However earthquakes of this size sometimes generate
local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located
within a hundred kilometres of the earthquake epicentre," it
said.
The area lies on the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", a
zone of frequent seismic activity caused by friction between
shifting tectonic plates.
PTI
First Published: Friday, March 09, 2012, 16:50