The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck near Indonesia on Thursday, and reports stated that a tsunami warning was issued.
The tremor hit about 86 miles north of Ternate, Indonesia.
The earthquake hit between the islands of Halmahera and Sulawesi.
Seismologist Stephen Hicks with the Imperial College London, told The Independent: “Fortunately, it has occurred offshore and at a reasonably deep depth so risk of damage from shaking and tsunami is low.”
Nonetheless, Indonesian officials issued a tsunami alert, according to DW.com.
In July, a strong, shallow earthquake struck eastern Indonesia, damaging some homes and causing panicked residents to flee to temporary shelters. There were no immediate reports of casualties, and authorities said there was no threat of a tsunami.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.3 quake was centered 103 miles southeast of Ternate, the capital of North Maluku province, at a depth of just 6 miles. Shallow quakes tend to cause more damage than deeper ones.
Indonesia’s national disaster agency said the land-based earthquake didn’t have any potential to cause a tsunami, according to The Associated Press.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
