Magnitude 6.6 earthquake strikes remote area of the South Indian Ocean

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake has struck the South Indian Ocean, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). No tsunami warnings or advisories have been issued.

The quake occurred at 9:43 p.m. ET, with its epicenter located on the southeast Indian Ridge. It struck at a preliminary depth of approximately 6.2 miles (10 kilometers), according to USGS data.

The location was remote, far from any populated areas. The nearest settlement was Augusta, in Western Australia, more than 1,200 miles (1,966 km) away. The USGS data showed that no population was expected to have felt the tremor.

No tsunami advisories or warnings were issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), which is also responsible for issuing alerts for tsunami threats in the Indian Ocean.

The region has a history of strong earthquakes, with the largest recorded near Tuesday’s epicenter being a magnitude 7.1 event in 2015. No tsunami was expected at the time.

The earthquake marks the ninth 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 deaths, according to the latest figures. Seismologists note that this level of activity aligns with global patterns of regular seismic behavior.