An earthquake of magnitude 6.0 struck Pacific Ocean on Sunday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 130km. In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 6.0, On: 08/03/2026 14:58:27 IST, Lat: 15.92 S, Long: 173.70 W, Depth: 130 Km, Location: South Pacific Ocean."
The world's greatest earthquake belt, the circum-Pacific seismic belt, is found along the rim of the Pacific Ocean, where about 81 per cent of our planet's largest earthquakes occur.
It has earned the nickname "Ring of Fire," the US Geological Survey (USGS) states.
The belt exists along boundaries of tectonic plates, where plates of mostly oceanic crust are sinking (or subducting) beneath another plate.
Earthquakes in these subduction zones are caused by slip between plates and rupture within plates. Earthquakes in the circum-Pacific seismic belt include the M9.5 Chilean Earthquake [Valdivia Earthquake] (1960) and the M9.2 Alaska Earthquake (1964).
Approximately 90 percent of the world's earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire.
About 81 percent of the world's largest earthquakes happen in this belt.
It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year. 100,000 of those can be felt, and 100 of them cause damage. -- ANI
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