6.3-magnitude Earthquake Hits Vanuatu

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The USGS said the shallow earthquake occurred approximately 110 kilometres east of Luganville, the country’s second largest city.

The agency indicated that the number of people exposed to the tremor was low, while the risk of landslides was also considered minimal.

Vanuatu, an archipelago in the South Pacific, experiences frequent earthquakes because of its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

The Ring of Fire is major zone of seismic and volcanic activity extending across parts of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean.

The region is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because of movements along tectonic plate boundaries.