Earthquake of 7.7 magnitude strikes in Pacific, no tsunami alert

The epicenter of the quake is located 31 miles north of the island of Pagan which is a part of the Northern Mariana Islands volcanic archipelago.

A massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday, close to the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

The epicenter of the quake was located 31 miles north of the island of Pagan which is a part of the Northern Mariana Islands volcanic archipelago. Initially, the earthquake was reported of 7.6 magnitude, but there was no tsunami alert.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said: "Based on the depth of the earthquake a tsunami is not expected."

The quake was fairly deep at 132 miles (212 km) below the seabed which dampened its effect.

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