Powerful 7.0 magnitude quake strikes south Atlantic: USGS

A powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck in the south Atlantic ocean 314 kilometres southeast of Stanley, the main city on the Falkland Islands, the US Geological Survey said early today.

The underwater quake struck at 1157 IST at a depth of 10 kilometres in the lightly populated area, the USGS said. The epicentre was also 877 kilometres east of Ushuaia, Argentina, the USGS said.

There were no initial reports of damage or casualties.

The Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a bulletin stating that, despite the power of the quake, "a destructive widespread tsunami threat does not exist."

The Tsunami Warning Centre however did say that there was a "small possibility of a local or regional tsunami" that could affect coastlines "located usually no more than a few hundred kilometres from the earthquake epicentre."

The USGS initially said that it was a magnitude 6.6 earthquake, but later revised the quake's strength.