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Two powerful earthquakes strike just off coast of holiday island Fiji
Two earthquakes, measuring 6.5 and 5.1 in magnitude, have struck off the coast of Fiji today, coming just after a 6.0 earthquake, which struck Papua New Guinea
The USGS measured a 6.4 earthquake to the south of Fiji, and the southwest of Tonga, at 4:19pm Fiji Time on 26 September (Photo: USGS)
The largest quake was recorded at a depth of 105km and struck just south of the Fijian islands, in the South Pacific. The smaller quake was registered 289km north of Ndoi island and was 579km deep, at 1.42pm local time.
Despite the size of the quakes, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, there was no threat of a tsunami, although the situation is being monitored closely.
Fiji falls within the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire” – a string of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean, making it a seismically active area.
The Pacific Ring of Fire sprung to life in the last week, with numerous intense quakes being felt, including ones in New Zealand, Japan, Indonesia and Mexico. The Mexico quake was devastating, leaving hundreds dead and widespread damage in the capital of Mexico city.
Just hours ago, tremors were felt in Papua New Guinea.
