A 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Tonga the US Geological Survey reported on Wednesday.
The moderate quake struck at a depth of 44.5km east of the Tongan capital Nuku’Alofa at 9:39am (07:39 AEDT), the USGS statement said.
There were no immediate reports of damage or warnings of a tsunami.
Tonga, almost 2,000km northeast of New Zealand, lies on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where continental plates collide causing
frequent volcanic and seismic activity.
Nine people died in Tonga in an earthquake-triggered tsunami in October 2009 that also killed 143 people in Samoa.
