A 6.6-magnitude earthquake has hit off the Solomon Islands this morning, but no region-wide tsunami is expected, the US Geological Survey says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The earthquake took place at a depth of 30 kilometres about 11.10am, about 133 kilometres from Solomon Islands' capital Honiara, the USGS reported.
A USGS spokesman said that, while the undersea quake had struck at a shallow depth, the lower magnitude of the quake combined with its occurrence "on the lower part of the earth's crust" meant a tsunami affecting the Pacific region was unlikely.
But the spokesman added that a local tsunami was possible. He said the USGS had not received any reports of damage or casualties.
Nelson Anaia, a provincial disaster officer at the Solomon Islands' National Disaster Management Office, said there was no threat of a tsunami and everything was "normal".
A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said there was no tsunami threat to Australia.
Comment is being sought from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The Solomon Islands sit on top of the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where the movement of tectonic plates causes frequent seismic activity, resulting in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
In January last year, a powerful 7.2-magnitude quake struck off the South Pacific nation, generating a tsunami of up to 2.5-metres and damaging about 1000 homes.
In April 2007, dozens of people were killed and many more made homeless when a tsunami swept through the Solomon Islands after a strong earthquake hit about 350 kilometres north-west of Honiara.
