Strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake hits off Tonga

APIA, SAMOA (BNO NEWS) — A strong earthquake struck off Tonga on Saturday afternoon, seismologists said, but no tsunami warnings were issued.

The 6.0-magnitude earthquake at 4.39 p.m. local time (0339 GMT Sunday) was centered about 105 kilometers (65 miles) north-northeast of Hihifo, the main village on the island of Niuatoputapu in Tonga. It struck about 41.2 kilometers (25.6 miles) deep, making it a shallow earthquake, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially measured the strength of the earthquake at 6.2 on the Richter scale, and said it was not capable of causing a tsunami.

Because of its depth and its distance from coastlines, the USGS estimated that only 2,000 people likely perceived light shaking as a result of the earthquake. The agency said no damage was expected.

On September 28, 2006, a 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck 237 kilometers (147 miles) southeast of Saturday’s earthquake, causing no casualties.

But on September 29, 2009, an 8.1-magnitude earthquake struck 185 kilometers (115 miles) east-northeast of Hihifo, unleashing giant tsunamis that killed nearly 200 people and injured hundreds more on Tonga, American Samoa, Samoa, and other islands.

(Copyright 2010 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)