Strong 6.5 quake strikes off Vanuatu: Hong Kong Observatory
Hong Kong, Feb 5 2012, (AFP)
A 6.5-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of the South Pacific island of Vanuatu today, 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 6.0 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.
