7.1-magnitude quake strikes off Solomon Islands

April 12, 2010 - 0:0

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) – A powerful earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands on Sunday, but a monitoring agency said a tsunami was not expected.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 7.1-magnitude quake hit southwest of the island chain's Kira Kira island in the South Pacific. The temblor's epicenter was about 130 miles (210 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Honiara.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says a destructive wave is not expected. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The Solomon Islands is a country of nearly 1,000 islands that lie on the ""Ring of Fire"" — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim and where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur.
In April 2007, an 8.0-magnitude earthquake in the western Solomons triggered a tsunami that killed more than 50 people and displaced thousands.
In September last year, a devastating tsunami swept along coasts in the Pacific islands of Samoa and Tonga, killing 186 people.