Strong and deep undersea earthquake shakes eastern Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia – A strong, deep undersea earthquake shook eastern Indonesia on Friday, but no damage has been reported.

The 6.9 magnitude earthquake was centred more than 627 kilometres (389 miles) under the sea, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Deeper quakes tend to cause less damage at the surface.

It was centred at 220 kilometres (136 miles) south-southeast of Katabu in Southeast Sulawesi province.

The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency released no tsunami warning.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 260 million people, is frequently struck by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.