This screen grab taken from footage taken by Japan’s Himawari-8 satellite and released by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (Japan) on January 15, 2022 shows the volcanic eruption that provoked a tsunami in Tonga. – The eruption was so intense it was heard as “loud thunder sounds” in Fiji more than 800 kilometres (500 miles) away. (Photo by Handout / National Institute of Information and Communications Technology / AFP)
SYDNEY — A 6.2-magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of Tonga at 0640 GMT on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey said, with no immediate reports of damage.
The epicenter of the strong quake was 219 kilometers (136 miles) northwest of Pangai, a town on the remote island of Lifuka, at a depth of 14.5 kilometers.
There were no immediate reports of the quake being felt in Tonga or neighboring Fiji.
The area has seen daily earthquake activity since Tonga’s Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai erupted earlier this month.