A 6.2 magnitude earthquake has struck off the Samoa islands on March 8, 2016 at 5:36 am UTC.
The epicenter is situated 200km from Apia, the capital and largest city of the island country with 37,000 residents.
The earthquake depth is 29.8 km according to bith USGS and the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).
However, USGS downgraded the quake to a 5.8-magnitude earthquake while EMSC only to M6.0.
Mag 6.2. Samoa Islands Region, 08 Mar 2016 16:36 (AEDT). Lat/Lon 14.875S, 173.047W Depth 0km. Info is preliminary.
— EarthquakesGA (@EarthquakesGA) March 8, 2016
No tsunami warning has been issued.
The part of South Pacific Ocean where Tonga and Samoa are located is considered to be one of the most seismically active areas of the world due to high rates of convergence between the Australia and Pacific plates.
