Series of quakes strike off South Pacific islands – USGS

SYDNEY – A strong 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the South Pacific islands of Wallis and Futuna in the early hours of Monday, following another powerful earthquake off Tonga.

The latest quake hit at 5:15 am local time (1715 GMT Sunday) and occurred 205 kilometers (127 miles) southeast of the Wallis and Futuna capital of Mata-Utu, the US Geological Survey said.

It came less than two hours after a 6.4-magnitude quake struck off Tonga.

There were no tsunami alerts and immediate reports of damage.

The undersea quake off Tonga hit at 3:52 am (1552 GMT Sunday) and was 197 kilometers northwest of the town of Hihifo, USGS said.

The epicenter was also at a depth of 10 kilometers.

That tremor was followed less than three hours later by a 5.6-magnitude quake a few kilometers further west.

The region lies in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of frequent seismic activity due to collisions between continental plates.