Earthquake hits coast of Vanuatu

AN earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter Scale has struck off the coast of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, prompting fears of a tsunami.

The United States Geological Survey reported that the tremor struck on Tuesday morning, just 45 miles from the small Pacific island.

The earthquake struck just at a depth of 6 miles in the shallow waters.
There are no reported injuries or fatalities.
The island, which has a population of just over 250,000, is no stranger to natural disasters as it is regularly frequented by cyclones and earthquakes, with up to 10 people killed in a 1999 strike measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale which triggered landslides and tsunamis.

USGS

Where the earthquake struck

Earthquakes have plagued the South Pacific in 2016, with experts fearing that it could lead a massive catastrophic tremor.
The most recent quake follows a spate of tremors in the so-called ‘Ring of Fire’, which was aptly given its name due to its volatile seismic activity.
Other tremors in the past months include a 6.5 earthquake rocked Ternate in North Maluku, on the east of Indonesia and a 6.2 tremor occurred 145 miles off the coast off the south Indonesian island of Lombok.

GETTY

Vanei Vollohulu, one of Vanuatu's most active volcanos

Australia was recently hit by a 6.1 magnitude earthquake too.
The earthquake was recorded 6.2 miles deep 1,000 miles off the coast of Queenstown, South Australia, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
Geoscience Australia reported the earthquake was "potentially tsunamigenic," meaning it could cause a tsunami.

  http://www.express.co.uk/news/science/693311/Powerful-earthquake-strikes-on-coast-of-Vanuatu