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6.0-magnitude earthquake jolts Solomon Islands: USGS

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AFP Sydney
Last Updated : Apr 04 2014 | 6:59 PM IST
A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Solomon Islands today, the US Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage.
The tremor, at a depth of 63 kilometres, hit at 10.40 pm, some 30 kilometres west of the city of Kirakira.
The US Geological Survey issued a "green alert", indicating there was a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
The Solomons are part of the "Ring of Fire", a zone of tectonic activity around the Pacific that is subject to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
In February last year, the islands were struck by a major 8.0 magnitude quake that generated small but deadly tsunami waves which washed away houses and reached as far away as Japan.
In 2007 a tsunami following an 8.0-magnitude earthquake killed at least 52 people in the Solomons and left thousands homeless. The quake lifted an entire island and pushed out its shoreline by dozens of metres.

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First Published: Apr 04 2014 | 6:59 PM IST

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