World
Major earthquake strikes the Pacific Ocean off Fiji
![](https://bnonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/8182018FijiQuakeCreditGoogle.jpg)
A major earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.2 has struck the Pacific Ocean off Fiji, but it struck too far below the seabed and too far away from land to pose a significant threat, officials say. Small tsunami waves have been observed.
The earthquake, which struck at 12:19 p.m. local time on Sunday, was centered about 269 kilometers (167 miles) east of Levuka on Fiji’s Ovalau island. It struck at a depth of 559 kilometers (347 miles), making it an extremely deep earthquake.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) put the preliminary magnitude at 8.2.
Small tsunami waves were observed near the earthquake’s epicenter, but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there is no threat to the public. “Persons along coastal areas near the earthquake should be observant and exercise normal caution,” it said.
Because of the earthquake’s depth and location, its effects are expected to be minimal. Computer models from the USGS estimate that more than 1 million people across the region may have felt light shaking.
“There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage,” the USGS said in its assessment.
Fiji is on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin which is prone to frequent and large earthquakes. Sunday’s tremor was the world’s largest earthquake since September 2017, when an 8.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Mexico.
![](https://bnonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Artboard1-11.png)
-
World2 days ago
U.S. and China report 3 more human cases of bird flu, UN calls for urgent action
-
Politics1 week ago
U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee dead at 74
-
Legal1 week ago
Florida man arrested for threatening to kill Trump and Vance
-
World1 week ago
7.4-magnitude earthquake hits northern Chile
-
Legal5 days ago
At least 19 people shot, 3 killed, outside Mississippi nightclub
-
World1 week ago
Cyanide found on tea cups after 6 people die at Bangkok hotel
-
Legal1 week ago
Texas Amber Alert: 2 children last seen in Bastrop County
-
Legal1 week ago
Kansas Amber Alert: Jaxon Halley abducted in Kansas City