US monitor: 7.1-magnitude earthquake has struck off the Solomon Islands; no tsunami expected

7.1-magnitude quake strikes off Solomon Islands

ADELAIDE, Australia — A powerful earthquake struck off the Solomon Islands on Sunday, but a monitoring agency said a tsunami was not expected.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 7.1-magnitude quake hit southwest of the island chain’s Kira Kira island in the South Pacific. The temblor’s epicenter was about 130 miles (210 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Honiara.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says a destructive wave is not expected. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

The Solomon Islands is a country of nearly 1,000 islands that lie on the “Ring of Fire” — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim and where about 90 percent of the world’s quakes occur.