Powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake shakes Vanuatu along Pacific Ring of Fire

LUGANVILLE, Vanuatu — A magnitude 7.3 earthquake rattled the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu shortly before 8 p.m. local time Monday. The quake was centered roughly 21 miles northeast of Luganville, the country’s second-largest municipality, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

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Despite the strength of the quake, with an epicenter roughly 72 miles below the earth’s surface, no tsunami warning was issued.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), earthquakes deeper than 62 miles below the Earth’s surface are unlikely to cause tsunamis.

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Vanuatu’s Meteorology and Geo-hazards Department warned people to stay away from specific coastal areas and asked them to remain alert.

Vanuatu is located over the boundary between the Indo-Australian tectonic plate and the Pacific Plate and is one of the most seismically active parts of the Pacific Ring of Fire, according to the USGS. 

The Ring of Fire is the 25,000-mile chain of volcanoes surrounding the Pacific Ocean, where 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes occur.