A huge earthquake has hit the popular holiday destination the Fiji Islands.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS) an earthquake measuring a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale has hit the south of the Fiji Islands. It was recorded at at 8:03am local time at a significant depth of 174 kilometres (108 miles) according to the USGS.
A tsunami is not expected at the tropical paradise due to the depth of the earthquake, according to the US Tsunami Warning System.
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Fiji, located in the South Pacific with a collection of over 300 seprate islands, is best known for its stunning landscapes and beaches – it attracted nearly one million visitors in 2024. Due to high rates of convergence between the Australia and Pacific plates the eastern margin of the Australia plate is one of the most sesimically active areas of the world.
The USGS recorded the original earthquake at 8:03am local time The U.S. Tsunami Warning System’s website also said that the epicentre was south of the Fiji Islands. The USG has received zero reports of people having felt the earthquake at the time of publication.
At 4.40pm local time a smaller earthquake measuring 5.1 magnitude hit the nearby Kermadec Islands region at a deph of 55.8km. It comes just weeeks after Myanmar was hit by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on March 28. With 4,521 people injured and 441 missing, the US Geological Survey warned “a death toll over 10,000 is a strong possibility” based on the location and size of the quake
Closer to home a popular hiking spot in the UK was rocked by three earthquakes in just six hours where “whole houses shuddered”. Schiehallion is one of Scotland ’s best known hills, attracting climbers due to its stunning views and relative ease to climb despite being more than 1,000 metres high.
According to the British Geological Society the beauty spot in Perthshire had the trio of earthquakes. The first tremor at 6.58am on Monday April 7, followed by two more at 12.14pm and 12.16pm, while there had also been a previous quake at Schiehallion at 11.55pm on April 2.
The first tremor, recorded at a depth of three kilometres, registered 1.8 on the Richter Scale and then five hours later there were two less powerful quakes nearby. The second had a reading of 0.8 on the scale and came at a depth of four kilometres and two minutes later there was the third which was two kilometres deep and was registered at 1 on the Richter chart.
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