Magnitude 6.5 earthquake strikes remote area of South Pacific; no tsunami threat

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck the South Pacific Ocean on Sunday, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). No tsunami warnings or advisories were issued.

The quake occurred at 4:03 p.m. ET, with its epicenter located south of the Fiji Islands. It struck at a depth of approximately 168 miles (271 kilometers), classifying it as a deep earthquake, according to USGS data.

The location was remote, far from any populated areas. The nearest settlement was Houma, in the island nation of Tonga, more than 380 miles (621 kilometers) away. The USGS reported that no population was expected to have felt the tremor.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) confirmed that there was “no tsunami threat from this earthquake.”

The affected region lies south of Tonga and Fiji and north of New Zealand, within the seismically active area commonly known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. This area is notorious for frequent major earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Sunday’s earthquake marks the eighth seismic event of magnitude 6.0 or higher reported globally since the late March earthquake in Myanmar, which devastated the region and resulted in over 5,000 confirmed deaths, according to the latest figures. Seismologists note that this level of activity aligns with global patterns of regular seismic behavior.