MOSCOW (Sputnik) – A 7.0-magnitude earthquake has occurred in the South Pacific, about 78 kilometers (48 miles) northwest of Lata, the capital of Solomon Islands’ Temotu Province, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reports.
The epicenter of the quake, which hit the region at about 02:30 GMT on Saturday, was located at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), USGS said.
There was no immediate information of casualties or damage following the quake.
Prelim M7.5 earthquake SANTA CRUZ ISLANDS Jul-18 02:27 UTC, updates http://t.co/GbmrzJlsFR, 0 #quake tweets/min
— USGSted (@USGSted) July 18, 2015
The tsunami threat from the earthquake has "mostly passed," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said in a Saturday statement, adding that "any remaining threat should be evaluated by local authorities in impacted areas."
PTWC did warn of minor sea level fluctuations of up to 0.3 meters (about 1 foot) above and below the normal tide.
The Solomon Islands are located in the so-called Ring of Fire quake zone — a strip of volcanoes and tectonic faults in the basin of the Pacific Ocean with one of the highest levels of volcanic and seismic activity in the world.
Last week seismologists from the US Geological Survey reported a 6.5 magnitude earthquake about 170 kilometers west of the Solomon Islands' capital Honiara with no casualties.
