Second earthquake strikes in South Pacific; no tsunami alert
SYDNEY >> A strong earthquake has struck off the coast of the Pacific island nation of Papua New Guinea. There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries and no tsunami alert was issued.
It’s the second strong earthquake in the South Pacific in the last 24 hours.
The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude-6.8 quake struck Monday 81 miles east of the town of Wewak at a depth of 10 miles at 1:39 p.m. Hawaii time today.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami alert.
Another undersea earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 struck near the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Sunday but there were no reports of damage and no tsunami alert was issued.
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The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake occurred shortly at about 4:35 a.m. Hawaii time about 224miles east of the Vanuatu capital of Port Vila. It was at a depth of 14.2 miles
Vanuatu and New Guinea are part of the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching from South America through Alaska and down through the South Pacific.
A 7.3-magnitude quake struck near Vanuatu on Dec. 26, causing a tsunami a few inches high but no damage. A 6.5-magnitude quake on March 16 also did not cause any damage.
