South Pacific Islands Hit by 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake and Small Tsunami.

A 7.7 magnitude earthquake caused a small tsunami to wash ashore on South Pacific islands, with waves 60 centimeters above tide level measured off Lenakel, Vanuatu. No damage has been reported, and the threat passed in a few hours. The quake's epicenter was near the Loyalty Islands, a province in the French territory of New Caledonia. The region is part of the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world's earthquakes occur.