Major earthquakes strike near Fiji, Indonesian island

Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Two major earthquakes struck the Pacific on Sunday -- an 8.2 magnitude one about 200 miles from Fiji and Tonga and a 6.3-magnitude in Indonesia's Lomback island.

Both quakes were felt around noon time locally.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the one in the Pacific was 348 miles miles deep at 12:09 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time and was followed by a 6.3 and 6.8 ones at a similar depth nearby.

The biggest quake was 168 miles east of Levuka in Fiji and 275 miles west of Neiafu in Tonga.

A destructive tsunami was not expected, and there was no threat to Hawaii, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

Only minor damage was reported in Tonga and no reported of damage in Fiji, according to Radio New Zealand.

The last 8.0 or greater earthquake was an 8.2 in Mexico on Sept. 7, 2017, according to the USGA.

The Lomeback island quake was centered 3.7 miles northeast of Sembalunlawaang at 4:10 a.m. GMT. The USGS said it would have been felt to a moderate level on the island and less in the neighboring tourist island of Bali.

The earthquakes Sunday are in the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin.

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