7.5 Earthquake Off Papua New Guinea Followed By 6.8 Near Samoa

A magnitude 7.5 earthquake off the coast of Papua New Guinea was followed hours later by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in nearby Samoa.

The epicenter of the Papua New Guinea quake was about 34 miles from the city of Kokopo.

The quake struck about 25 miles deep at almost midnight Sunday. Other nearby cities include Kimbe about 175 away and Kavieng about 193 miles away, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Papua New Guinea's capital, Port Moresby, was almost 500 miles away from the epicenter. Damage or deaths have not been reported.

The Samoa quake struck about eight hours later on Monday. The nearest cities are Hihifo in Tonga about 68 miles away and Apia in Samoa about 131 miles away.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said no destructive, pacific-wide tsunami is expected and that there is no tsunami threat to Hawaii.

Seismic activity is common in countries that lie in the region of the volcanic Ring of Fire.