6.7 Magnitude Quake Hits off Vanuatu, New Caledonia

A 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck in the South Pacific near Vanuatu and New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The quake struck at a depth of 32 kilometers at 07:09 GMT, around 60 kilometers northeast of Isangel in Vanuatu and 325 kilometers from Tadine in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia, according to USGS.

The agency initially put the size of the quake at magnitude 7.1.

There was no threat of a widespread tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.

The area lies on the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", a zone of frequent seismic activity caused by friction between shifting tectonic plates.